


To Each Their Own Color

by NullanyThorm



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-09-05 05:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 43,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16804228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NullanyThorm/pseuds/NullanyThorm
Summary: In the world of Remnant, color is everything. After the great war, the world found itself in the midst of a great movement. Color became a way of stating one’s on individuality and value of self-expression. The people named their children after colors, and art and fashion became a centerpiece of Remnant’s culture. Not all colors and styles are as equal as the world would have you believe at a glance, however.Oscar Pine and Jaune Arc are each other’s best, and only friend at Beacon Academy -- one of the foremost art schools in the kingdom of Vale, and all of Remnant. Socially awkward and unassuming boys, they were often the target of bullying by the those higher on the social ladder. By a stroke of luck, Jaune manages to form friendships with the most popular clique in school. Oscar, meanwhile, has two chance encounters that lead him to find his place with those lowest on Remnant’s social ladder. They each find their own place to belong, and their own confidence, at the cost of their friendship.





	1. Prologue | Two Types of Outcast

The hectic sounds of footfalls and screams urged a dark-skinned boy out of his bed. He glanced around the large room filled with beds, seeing none of the other boys who shared it there. Glancing towards the clock, his eyes widened and he let out a yelp. He rushed toward his small box of things, looking for clothes to wear for the day. It seemed one of the other boys had been through his things, since everything was just shoved in the box haphazardly, but he paid it no mind. Rather, he frantically moved towards the showers, trying to make up for lost time.

  
“Why didn’t anyone wake me up!?” He shouted, disgruntled. The other kids payed him no mind, as if he was invisible, just talking amongst themselves as they left. Ignored in the home’s morning rush, he tried to frantically shower and straighten out his bed hair as much as possible. He pulled on his simple clothes, grabbing his school bag and shoes as he stumbled downstairs. At least he wasn’t having to shove himself past anyone else to get out on time.

“Uh… Hey, is Oscar not up yet?”

As he finally made it to the front, he heard a familiar voice from the door. From where he was, he couldn’t see the owner of the voice from behind the proprietor, but he didn’t really need to. Knowing how late he was, the boy wasn’t surprised to hear his friend having come to check in on him.

“Os…. Oh, Freckles?” Oscar cringed a bit when he heard the nickname the proprietor often called him. Would it kill her to use his name? Did she even know his name? “I’d imagine he’d be out by now… All the others are... ”

“I’m right here!” Oscar shouted, using his small frame to dart around the woman blocking the door and out onto the street. “Sorry I’m late! No one got me up!”

“Gods, boy!” The woman looked at him indignantly as he darted by. “You’re so quiet, I hardly know if you’re awake or not. Hurry up, then.”

Oscar found himself rolling his eyes as he heard the door close behind him. He felt his friend’s hand on his shoulder, and gave Jaune Arc a small smile. He shrugged off all the things that had happened that morning, and the duo walked their way towards the center of Vale. The silence between them was comfortable, until it was broken by Oscar.

“Sorry to make you come all the way out into the city….” His head hung slightly, brow furrowing. “Things would be so much easier if I could just live in the dorms like everyone else.”

“Hey, it can’t be helped,” was Jaune’s simple response. “Only your tuition being paid for. That’s not your fault.”

“Yeah, some reward for ‘excellence in the field of art’,” Oscar scoffed.

Under normal circumstances, Oscar and Jaune would simply meet up about a block away from the school the two attended. On the, unfortunately more regular than Oscar would like to admit, occasion he wound up a bit late though, Jaune always wound up coming to him. It might be a common occurrence, but only because Jaune wouldn’t listen when Oscar assured him he’d manage on his own if he was late.

“Hey, look at it this way,” Jaune responded, “You’ll be out of that place one day, then maybe you can afford dorms like everyone else.”

“Please,” Oscar quipped with a roll of his eyes, “At this rate, the day I’m out of there is the day I’m done with school and have a job.”

“Well, I’m sure there are plenty of others who live off-campus --”

“Who aren’t goth?”

Silence. Well, it wasn’t like Oscar didn’t understand. They both knew the answer to that one, so there was no point in waiting for a response. Jaune seemed to take the drop in his shoulders as a sign, and instantly changed the subject.

“Uh, so! Any good news from the weekend?”

“Well, the little terror that was always uprooting my plants is finally gone. A visitor actually thought he was ‘endearing’, or something along those lines.”

“Hey, that’s great! Why not ask the proprietor for some more seeds? You can actually get a garden going now.”

“Maybe I will...”

The two shifted back into the comfortable silence from earlier, until finally arriving at Beacon Academy. Oscar’s eyes shifted to look towards Jaune, and the two shared a silent moment as if preparing for the worst. The two boys moved into the crowds of students, invisible to everyone else but at least taking solace in the fact that they had each other. Another day, another battle for survival for the two socially awkward outcasts. Still, better them than --

_\- Elsewhere in Vale -_

“Ruby? We need to get going.”

“Ah, I’m pretty much done, Blake! One minute!”

Watching herself in the mirror, a small girl with short, dark hair was adding the finishing touches to her makeup. She scrutinized her handiwork, the black eyeliner and shadow that faded into deep rose red wings framing her silver eyes. Nodding in contentment, she left the bathroom, smiling at the taller faunus girl in front of her. “Ready to go! Nora?”

“Ren’s making sure she didn’t forget anything. Should be at the door by now.”

The two girls, each dressed almost entirely in black, walked into the main room of the apartment. Sure enough, they saw the other two residents of their apartment by the door. A rather impatient red-headed girl was tapping her toes as her childhood friend was running down a list.

“Okay… I guess that’s everything.”  
  
“I _told_ you I was good, today!”

“Well, that’s a change of pace,” Blake interjected the duo’s conversation. She placed a book that was sitting on the side table near the door into her school bag before grabbing Ruby’s bag and tossing it to her. “Ruby’s finally done with her makeup, so we can get going.”

“Hey, to quote uncle Qrow, ‘looking this good takes effort’!” Ruby responded, bouncing. “Besides, Ren takes just as long with his, so lecture him too.”

“I get up early to do mine though,” was Ren’s level-headed response. “I’ve told you that you should do the same.”

Ruby’s cheeks puffed out as the group left their home, making an overly exaggerated motion of sulking. This brought laughter to the rest of the group as they moved forward, ignoring the cautious glances of those around them.

“I’m just saying,” Nora quipped, “If you did your makeup a bit simpler, you wouldn’t be in the bathroom all morning and miss Ren’s breakfast! It’s your own fault I ate all the pancakes.”

Ruby gave a small whine, tears filling her eyes. “It wouldn’t hurt to save me some, though!” She responded, holding her stomach. “Makeup and hair is art too, you know! I was taught to never compromise on looking good.”

“Then you’ll just have to compromise on breakfast!” Nora said with a grin. She laughed at Ruby’s exaggerated ‘the world is too cruel!’ and walked with a spring in her step, as usual. “Rule of the house: those who miss breakfast getting ready relinquish their rights to pancakes over to Nora. We discussed this when we moved in together!”

“Yet, you still won’t get up early,” Blake quipped at Ruby with a hint of a smile. “I swear, ten alarm clocks going off simultaneously wouldn’t get you up on time.”

“Hm… maybe I should try that.”

“Please don’t. I already have to cut off all of Nora’s alarms in the morning.”

“ _Fine_ , for your sake Ren.”

“Thank you.”

The quartet found their way onto school grounds, only for Ruby to stumble forward as a passing boy shoved himself past her. She heard the usual jeers of the surrounding teenagers, followed by scared mutters as her friends went on the defensive. She waved a hand telling them not to bother, though, giving a small smile.

“Come on, we know better than to fall for that,” she reminded them. “Besides, it was just a stumble, nothing to worry about.”

This pacified the other three, and they went back to their usual conversation. They’d shoot occasional sharp looks at the crowds, causing them to back off, but otherwise things were perfectly normal. Almost as if oblivious to the fear and hate, because as long as they stuck together they didn’t care what the rest of Remnant thought of them.

“I’m gonna buy a snack from the vending machine!” Ruby exclaimed, “I don’t think I could make it to lunch, otherwise.”

She rushed ahead of the group, in a rush to fill her stomach at least a little. She didn’t even notice as she passed the quiet, dark-skinned boy whose hazel eyes watched her go.


	2. Beacon Academy of the Arts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beacon Academy is home to all sorts of aspiring artists. A rather eventful lunch break causes Oscar to find himself involved with many interesting characters. This causes him and Jaune to think about their place in Beacon's social structure.

“Ugh, I hate the cafeteria.”

Oscar couldn’t blame his friend for the irritable outcry. Gathering areas on campus like the cafeteria tended to be social warzones. So, as they found themselves meeting on the way to lunch midway through the day, neither of them were too confident. Trying to find free spaces to sit down, they often wound up pushed out by larger groups of students. All happily chatting amongst each other, not even noticing as they passed by the duo. Perhaps even not caring as they took seats the two had been heading straight for. 

They found themselves pushed into a corner, and Oscar’s shoulders slumped over involuntarily. His eyes scanned the colorful cafeteria, looking for free spaces among the huddled together students. Among the brightly colored fashions and eager artists, one corner was obviously open. Oscar always found his attention drawn to the corner of the room that lacked color. Students dressed in mostly black formed their own small groups. Those groups sat nearby in the same corner, a bubble of empty seats forming around them.

“Hey… there’s free seats over there.” He hesitated a moment, but nudged Jaune gently with his elbow and pointed towards the edge of the bubble. He knew better than to try to sit inside the bubble, but well… he wasn’t surprised when Jaune went on the defensive. 

“Uh… I think it’s best we don't get too close,” was the blond’s apprehensive response. He took a small step backwards, before turning around and pointing in the opposite direction. “I think there’s a couple free seats over there.”

As the two moved away from the goth-bubble, the crowds of students got steadily thicker. On the opposite end of the cafeteria, there were a few sparse free seats. As Oscar noticed which direction exactly they were headed toward, though, it was his turn to freeze up. A crowd of students was gathering around a group of five. There were a few sparse free areas around them, but the smaller of the two was more than a bit hesitant about sitting there. 

“Really?” he asked, timidly backing away a bit. “Don’t you think we’d be reaching a bit…?”

“Hey, I’m sure they’d hardly notice the two of us,” Jaune tried to reassure. He gave a small shrug as he glanced over toward the seats he’d been planning on taking. “Besides, just a few days ago, Yang Xiao Long saw Cardin messing with me and totally knocked his lights out. They’re good people.”

“Yeah, and Weiss Schnee slammed a door in our faces just earlier today,” Oscar scoffed in response.

“I -- well, that was my fault. How am I supposed to know how much confidence is too much?”

Oscar couldn’t resist laughing at that. His friend had a bit of a bad habit of trying a bit too hard when it came to interacting with others, particularly girls. He often tried to associate with the more popular students at Beacon, something Oscar himself would never have the nerve to do. Yet, he hesitantly followed Jaune as they moved through the crowds. 

They did their best to move through without being bumped into or pushed aside by the other students who paid them little mind. Jaune was a bit of a help with that considering his height. If Oscar had been on his own, he probably would have been pushed out of the crowd at this point. Thankfully, the duo managed to find their way to a small set of seats that were open…. Only to be shoved away from them, hard.

This wasn’t a matter of not being noticed. Oscar felt a hard shoulder shoving into him as a group of for larger boys pushed past and into the seats the two of them had been heading for. Jaune had managed to keep himself from falling, only stumbling backward. Oscar, on the other hand, felt his feet giving in underneath him. He stumbled, falling forward and dropping the tray of food that had been in his hands. The food scattered across the floor, and the sketchbook he carried with him as well as a few books were tossed out of his school bag from the force of the fall. 

“Oh, sorry! Didn’t see you there, Jauney-boy.”

As always, Oscar was being completely disregarded. He heard the familiar laughter of the group that seemed to have no better pastime than to mess with the two of them. He kept his eyes to the ground though, trying to busy himself with picking up his things. He… wasn’t exactly the most confrontational kid. 

“You totally saw us, Cardin! You literally plowed straight into Oscar!”

Jaune was a bit more assertive when it came to their long-time bullies. He wasn’t exactly the type to pick a fight with them (he knew neither of them stood a chance), but he was at least willing to stand his ground. Especially when it came to his much meeker friend. 

“Oscar who?” Was the bully’s oh-so-clever retort. “Aren’t you a little old for imaginary friends, Jaune?”

“Don’t act like he’s invisible!”

Oscar scrambled to pick up his things. Honestly, he preferred being invisible. Invisible was fine if it meant only having to worry about being pushed over. Unfortunately, it very rarely meant that. As he went to pick up the last of his things, his sketchbook, another hand reached down and swiped it before he could. That hand… was Cardin’s. 

“Hey, looks like someone dropped their sketchbook!”

“That’s… mine..”

Oscar’s timid assertion was hardly heard over the bullies’ laughter. Cardin was waving the book in the air, and most of the kids surrounding them backed off. They just cautiously watched, not wanting to get mixed up with Cardin’s group. 

“Wow, it’s nothing but flowers and plants,” Cardin laughed as he flipped through the book with his friends. “Wonder if the girl that drew this is missing it right about now.”

“Give it back...”

His protests were practically whimpers. Unable to make eye contact, he just glanced at the floor. He saw Jaune’s hands balled into fists, shaking violently. Yet, they unclenched almost instantly as his friend stepped in front of him. 

“You know that’s Oscar’s! Hand it over!”

Jaune was desperately trying to reach for the sketchbook in question, but each time he tried Cardin just pushed him away. Oscar, meanwhile, was only half-reaching toward it, lacking the courage to go for it himself and risk getting knocked over again. It would be neither Oscar nor Jaune who reclaimed the book, though. 

“Cardin, hand it over.” 

The sounds of high heels and boots caused Jaune and Oscar’s direction to be averted. A girl with long, red hair was calmly walking up, the crowds practically parting as she and her blond-haired friend addressed the four at the table. A small squeaking sound could be heard from Oscar, habitually stepping backward and hunching his shoulders as if trying to make himself more unassuming than he already was. 

“Ah, Nikos. Xiao Long...” He could hear a bit of a waver in Cardin’s voice. Perhaps due to his face having met the business end of Yang Xiao Long’s fist a few days ago. “I was just planning on holding onto it for a while, I was going to give it back.”

“Well, you’ve had your fun, haven’t you?” The redhead placed a hand on Oscar’s shoulder, causing him to duck his head into his pale orange jacket as if a turtle recoiling in its shell. 

“So unless you want a repeat of, what, three days ago?” The blond spoke this time, fists pounding together in an aggressive motion. “I suggest you return that sketchbook to its owner. Might aim a little lower than your face, this time, if you don’t make it quick.”

Naturally, when faced with two of the most popular girls in school, Cardin and his gang had little choice but to back down. Especially with the threat of immediate retribution from Yang Xiao Long, who could probably deck anyone at Beacon and put them on the ground. Cardin placed the sketchbook in Pyrrha Nikos’ hand, quickly leaving with his friends. The fear that these two could put into almost anyone was not to be underestimated. 

“Uh… Thanks..” Oscar stammered as Pyrrha smiled and returned his sketchbook. He gave a smile in exchange for the genuine smile the redhead had given him. He heard Yang saying ‘at this rate, rescuing you’s gonna become a full time job’ toward Jaune, but didn’t pay it much attention. 

Rather, as he was planning on adding to his initial thanks toward Pyrrha, he realized. Their little scene had drawn a crowd. Realizing all his eyes were on him and Jaune, he clutched his newly-returned sketchbook and made a beeline to get out of the cafeteria. He vaguely heard Jaune calling after him, but didn’t bother turning back. 

By the time he slowed down, Oscar was in the central courtyard of Beacon. He’d found a nice place shadowed over by the balcony of a higher floor, and slumped over to lean on the wall. Jaune had been trailing after him and was in the shade with him only moments later. He reached up to remove the guitar case he’d been carrying from his back, allowing him to lean back on the wall without damaging his instrument. The two were silent at first. The only sounds that could be heard were the light scratches of colored pencil on Oscar’s sketchbook, or Jaune occasionally plucking at the strings of his acoustic guitar. 

“Sorry, about that...” Oscar’s pencil stopped its movement for a moment. The small boy heaved a sigh that seemed almost too large to have come from his lungs. “I couldn’t even stand up for myself back there….”

“Hey, it’s fine,” Jaune responded. “I never stand up for myself either… you always wind up doing that. That’s why we have our promise, right?”

“Yeah...”

A sheepish smile came to Oscar’s face. Jaune returned the gesture, and the two went back to their own arts. The two would probably regret skipping lunch later, but for now, this downtime was more worth it for them. Neither of them had the nerve to go back to the cafeteria, and at this point, their lunch hour would be practically over by the time they got back anyway. 

“You think I’m using too much black here…?” Oscar glanced over at Jaune, holding his sketchbook up to his friend. “My professors can be a bit persnickety when it comes to color.”

The picture was mostly sketched up in soft color pencil. A small, orange gerbera daisy was potted together with a bright, tall sunflower. The two potted flowers were alone on a table in a dark room. The rest wasn’t colored, but the point was to show a brightly colored garden and landscape outside the window of the room. As he hadn’t colored in the outside yet, the piece itself seemed a bit bleak. Once it was done though, he’d hoped it would show a brighter, more optimistic tone with the filtering sunlight.

“Hey, I’m a performing arts kid so I don’t know much about color balance. I think it looks great so far, though.” Jaune smiled as he held the sketchbook back. “Is it for the Student Showcase?”

Oscar gave a small nod, taking the notebook back. He reached to retrieve his black pencil but hesitated. It had already dulled in the process of coloring in the room. He could sharpen it, but he didn’t want to risk adding more shadow than he already had. He reached for lighter browns instead to let in a bit more sunlight. 

“I don’t know why Professor Oobleck wants me to showcase for the Vytal Festival, but… I just hope I can live up to his expectations...”

“I’m sure it’s fine. You always get good marks after all,” Jaune reassured him. “If I knew more about traditional art I’d give you more to go on, but...”

“Well, I kind of expected it anyway.”

A small chuckle laced Oscar’s response to tell his friend he was joking. Jaune always found ways to compliment his work, even if he was completely oblivious about technique. He was the same when it came to Jaune’s guitar, though. So, he kept his observation to himself. 

“Hey… About what happened back there...”

“S-Sorry!”

Oscar felt every muscle in his body tensing up when Jaune brought up the cafeteria. He knew what it was about without having to ask. Two of the most popular girls in school had come to their aid, and he’d run off. 

“I know… You don’t want to just be nobodies forever.” He averted his eyes from making contact with Jaune’s as he spoke, burying himself in his sketch. “It was our chance to actually talk to them, too...”

“Nah. I know you’re not one for being the center of attention. I was just going to ask if you were okay.” 

Oscar felt his friend’s hand on his head, playfully tousling his already messy hair. He gave a disgruntled sound that was somewhere between a grumble and a whine. His somewhat pouty expression seemed to get a good laugh out of Jaune as he weakly swatted the taller boy’s hand away from his head. 

The slight tension between the two just melted away with that. The duo slowly broke into muted laughter as their horseplay continued for a brief moment. Unfortunately, time would come for the two to have to separate for their afternoon classes. 

“My department’s on the other end, so I should get going early.”   


Oscar was the first of the two to pack his things. He stashed away his pencils and sketchbook, which had been placed on the ground to his side while he’d goofed off with his friend. He mostly wanted to avoid the crowded after-lunch rush. Being as quiet, and as small, as he was he tended to get pushed around in the crowds a lot. Especially without his much taller friend to keep tabs on the crowds the way he did for their morning classes. 

“Alright. Meet you by the gate after school?”

“As usual.”

And so, Oscar parted ways with his friend for the afternoon. A smile and a wave were his goodbye to Jaune as he moved through the hall at a brisk pace. Other than him, the only ones walking through the halls this time were those students dressed almost entirely in black -- goths trying to avoid the heated gazes of their peers. His eyes met theirs a few times, but he kept his gaze downward for the most part. It was something he’d grown accustomed to doing when he was on his own, anyway. 

His eyes scanned the floor, keeping an eye out for the shoes of other students to ensure he didn’t run into anyone. There weren’t many walking around right now, but it was still a constant risk. Unfortunately, as much as he may keep an eye out, it couldn’t help when he was hearing heavy footfalls from behind him. It didn’t sound like heels, so more than likely boots of some sort. As the girl those boots belonged to wasn’t paying as much attention as Oscar -- a collision was imminent. 

Luckily, though, the collision didn’t turn into a full-on crash. He felt himself being run into, and the feeling of a metallic object slamming gently into his back. The two each stumbled, but neither of them fell. Considering the speed at which the girl had been moving, it was perhaps the best possible outcome. Incoherent yelps came afterwards, causing Oscar to turn back towards the girl in question.

“OhmygodI’msosorry!” The girl, who was still taller than him despite being on the short side, flailed around energetically as she apologized all in one breath. Her hands clapped together in the universal symbol of ‘forgive me?’. She was dressed in mostly black and shades of dark and bright red, and even her dark hair ombr éd into a deep rose red. The culprit of the metallic feeling in his back seemed to be the camera hung around her neck -- a photography student? 

“Um… It’s okay….” Though his face turned away, his eyes couldn’t help glancing up into the silver ones that were looking at him. “No harm, no foul.”

The girl was silent at first, as if caught of guard. He didn’t blame her -- most people would have either ignored her or antagonized her, more than likely. Oscar, meanwhile, just gave a sheepish smile and a shrug as if to tell her it was nothing to be concerned about. They were sort of fellow outcasts, after all. 

Her bemused look soon melted into a smile, and Oscar felt his hands being grabbed by hers. A bit flustered, he found himself unable to make eye contact as she giggled and gave him a playful ‘got it!’. The encounter ended as soon as it had finished, with the goth girl waving to him and darting off towards her own classroom. 

Well that had been… a bit of a whirlwind. Barely able to get a word out, all Oscar could do was stare after the girl as she ran off. It wasn’t until she was out of sight that he managed to shake off the confusion of the encounter.

The ring of the end-of-lunch bell prodded him back to Remnant. He hurried along the halls, trying his best to get into the classroom before the crowds started forming. Head down, eyes out for any more collisions, it was time to focus on his afternoon classes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first official chapter! I was originally going to add one extra scene to the end of the chapter, but I decided that it would probably fit better at the beginning of the next chapter. So, that's what you'll get. I hope I was able to properly introduce some of the major groups and the way Beacon works well enough. If not, well, you'll get more on that a little later so no worries! Thanks for your support right from the start, and I hope you enjoy!


	3. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An after-class conversation leads Oscar to think about the upcoming Vytal Festival. More importantly, it seems he's rethinking his piece for the Student Showcase at the Vytal Festival. Meanwhile, Jaune is invited to join a group of performing arts students who will be holding a performance at the festival. The groundwork for the festival is being laid, as the duo begins to think about what kind of contribution they want to make.

Professor Oobleck’s classroom was a large lecture hall. It could best be described as a ‘haphazard mess’, really. The professor taught History during day classes, and composition for fine arts students during the afternoon -- and his classroom showed it. It couldn’t seem to make up its mind what kind of lecture hall it wanted to be. Old maps of Remnant and portraits of important people mixed with fine art pieces and the sketches of students on his walls. Most students found the haphazard clutter jarring, but to Oscar it made Oobleck’s one of his favorite classes. 

So, he was different from all the others in a rush to gather their things and leave classes for the day behind. Hesitant to return “home”, he gathered his things at a slower pace than the others. A few other students pushed their way by him, but he didn’t mind them much. None of them were talking directly to him -- they never did. So he couldn’t help but jolt in surprise when, as the classroom had been growing steadily quieter, he finally heard someone address him.

“Something on your mind, young man?”

Suddenly, Professor (“Doctor”, he liked to insist) Oobleck himself was right in front of his desk. Oscar didn’t have to wonder why, either. He’d been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that the room had quickly emptied of all students besides himself. He imagined it wouldn’t take much for the professor to put the pieces together -- Oscar wasn’t exactly difficult to read. The brunette frantically shook his head, righting himself as he moved quickly towards the door. 

“It’s nothing, Professor.”

He tried to give Oobleck a shaky smile and walk by. He ignored the ‘Doctor!’ from behind him, not bothering to look back looking back. As he prepared to open the door, however, an unexpected question from Oobleck shook him out of his own mind. 

“How’s your project for the Showcase going, by the way?”

“Huh?”

The sudden question caused him to pause in his exit, turning to face the professor. He’d moved back to his desk at some point, and was leaning on it as he drank out of his usual coffee cup. As Oscar gave the man a bemused look, the eyes behind his round spectacles gave an expression as if the question was completely obvious. Though, it wasn’t the question itself Oscar was confused by in the first place, the professor continued at his usual fast pace. 

“The Student Showcase? Vytal Festival? How’s your piece coming along?” He gave a smile as he sipped his coffee, as if what he was saying was obvious. Professor Oobleck was always… rather hard to keep up. “I hope you’ve been making good progress on it, young man.”

“No -- I mean, yes sir but… I mean...” He gave an exasperated blend of clicking his tongue and grunting, simply slumping over. He never could keep up with Professor Oobleck -- the talkative professor and quiet student made for a rather awkward blend. “Why bring up the Showcase so suddenly?”

“Well, the opportunity is here,” was his response. Perhaps he thought Oscar had been worried about the piece itself and was trying to make the conversation more casual? “Besides, as one of the overseeing professors, it’s my job to ensure the traditional arts students finish on time after all. So? How’s it coming along?” 

Seeing that he couldn’t get out of the conversation, Oscar gave in and moved away from the door. The brunette tucked his hands timidly behind his back, as he’d occasionally do habitually. Professor Oobleck always seemed to have high expectations for his art. Was it simply because he made good grades, because he was a tuition student, or because he was one of the younger students? He had no idea, personally, but it still tended to unnerve him. He got on well with his teacher, but always felt the pressure to live up to the other’s hopes for him.

“It’s going fine, I guess,” he responded with a small shrug. Maybe Oobleck thought he’d been concerned about his piece, and that was why he’d been so apprehensive? “At least, it’s going at a good pace. I’m afraid it might leave… a bit of a gothic impression, though..”

“I don’t see the problem with that.”

“... Huh?”

It was almost an exact mimicry of how the conversation had started. Professor Oobleck could be hard to hold a conversation with, so it wasn’t exactly uncommon for this to happen. A confused outcry, a small silence, and a short staring contest until the professor spoke up. He gave Oscar a small smile, setting his coffee cup down. 

“My boy, art in and of itself is a form of  _ personal _ expression.” Oobleck’s spectacles lowered on his nose enough for Oscar to catch a glimpse of warm expression in his eyes. As the professor folded his hands together, he continued. “Of course, I understand your hesitation when it comes to gothic statements. It’s only natural. Unlike other art schools, though, Beacon encourages breaking boundaries.”

Or… at least, they  _ tried _ to. Most of the professors treated even the goth kids normally. The students on the other hand… not so much. That was what Oscar was worried about, more than anything. He could hardly get a word in edgewise with Oobleck about that, though -- the professor just kept talking. 

“I picked  _ you _ to be part of the fine arts’ showcase because I felt  _ your art _ was worth showing. If you’re concerned, that’s fine, but I just hope that you do your best to convey the message that  _ you _ want. We’re going to be stirring up enough trouble, anyway.” Oobleck gave a small chuckle, but didn’t elaborate any more than that. He simply grabbed his coffee, and while Oscar wanted to ask more, he had a feeling he wouldn’t be answered. 

“Well, thanks, Professor --”

“ _ Doctor.” _

“Right… Thanks, Doctor Oobleck,” Oscar responded, resisting the urge to playfully roll his eyes at Oobleck’s insistence, “I’ll take what you said into consideration. It wasn’t really what I was worried about… but I’m glad I talked to you about it.”

He grabbed his things, and said his goodbyes to the professor and his classroom. Knowing Jaune was probably waiting for him at the school’s gates, he picked up his pace a bit. He’d have to apologize for leaving him waiting once he got there. 

_ \- Moments Earlier: Beacon Academy Gate - _

The sound of his guitar had a strange sort of calming effect as he waited by the academy gates. It wasn’t Oscar being late that frayed his nerves. He knew that often times his friend would stay behind to talk with a professor, or wait until other students were leaving so that he wouldn’t have to face the crowds. It was more that when the two of them were separated, they both tended to look over their shoulders for invisible bullies that might not even show up. 

So, as Jaune waited for his friend to come to the gates from class, he plucked away at the strings of his acoustic guitar. It allowed him to escape into his music for a while, not to mention helping pass the time. Most people didn’t pay the song he was making up on the fly much attention. They walked right past, going to hang out in town before returning to their dorms. Some might turn their heads or pause to listen for just a moment, but otherwise no one really bothered with him. It was the norm.

“You’re very good, you know.”

So, you could imagine Jaune’s surprise when a familiar voice suddenly called out to him. The voice caused the blond to stumble, nearly dropping his guitar. Ah, clumsiness and social awkwardness strike again. He turned to face the one who’d complimented him, words completely caught in his throat. Then again, who wouldn’t find themselves in that situation when  _ Pyrrha Nikos _ was complimenting them?

When Jaune thought of the fact that he hadn’t even known who Pyrrha Nikos was when he first started at Beacon, he oftentimes wanted to punch himself. She was pretty, popular, and one of the most talented students among the first years. Not to mention so humble that she hadn’t even cared that he didn’t know who she was and was…. Generally obnoxious the first time they met. So… yeah, her complimenting him was kind of a big deal. 

“Pyrrha!” He finally managed to get out nervously. He gave a small chuckle, glancing away. “Uh… It’s been a while. Since, you know… Stuff… I mean, we just saw each other in the cafeteria earlier but...”

“I know what you mean, Jaune,” Pyrrha quieted him with a small laugh. “It really has been a while. It seems like your decision to change over to performing arts was the right one, though.”

“That was Oscar’s idea, actually…. The friend I was at the cafeteria with earlier.”

“You have a really good friend, then.”

Jaune gave a simple smile in response. There was a silence between them that was nowhere near as comfortable as the quiet that he and Oscar enjoyed. Jaune shifted his weight back and forth between his left and right feet. It wasn’t awkward because he didn’t want to talk to Pyrrha, but more like he didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t exactly talked to her much during his short stint as a traditional arts student, and when he had he’d made a royal pain out of himself. 

Pyrrha didn’t seem to mind much, though. She’d reached out to him so quickly, he felt stupid for being worried about it. Even now, she was standing there, smiling at him. So, considering it seemed Oscar was taking his time that day, Jaune decided he might as well try to make things less awkward. He packed away his guitar, deciding to be the first to speak up. 

“So… Planning to hang out with your friends?” he asked. He didn’t see the others Pyrrha was friends with, but it wasn’t like they were never apart. They were in different departments too, so maybe they were just meeting up here after class. 

“Well, yes and no,” she responded. “Actually… I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor, Jaune.”

“.... A favor from  _ me _ ?”

She nodded, smiling sheepishly. “Well, more like… I need a performing arts student. A musician. I just heard you playing, and thought… you might be a good choice.” 

“Well… What’s the favor?”

“It’s… In regards to my friends, actually.” She responded with a smile. She clasped her hands behind her back, glancing away for a moment before continuing. “A couple of them have plans for a performance during the Festival, but… There are some… Creative differences causing trouble.”

“And you think there’s something  _ I  _ can do to help?” 

Honestly, he was awestruck at the concept that she’d come to him of all people. He was almost certain she should know other musicians that should be more helpful in this situation. Sure, she hadn’t been looking for him specifically, but that she was thinking he was right for the job was amazing. He didn’t really know what to say. 

Besides that… How would this affect Oscar if he decided to accept the favor? He knew that his friend wasn’t good with attention, and hanging around five of the most gifted students at Beacon would certainly garner a lot of attention. Would it be okay for him to just go along with Pyrrha’s request? What could he even do to help with a matter like this?

“Well… it’s essentially a matter of modern performance versus a more classical one,” Pyrrha elaborated. “With…  _ some convincing _ on Sun’s part, he and Weiss thought they’d perform at the festival. Weiss would sing, and he would dance…. But they’re still trying to decide on a direction.”

“That’s an…. Interesting partnership.”

Pyrrha gave a shaky laugh. It was one of those ‘I have no idea what I’m going to do, or how I’m going to fix this’ kind of expressions. He could see how Pyrrha often had to play mediator for her group of friends -- she was certainly the most mild mannered of the group. 

“Yes… We all think it had potential to be a good combination but…. Their personalities...” She gave a small sigh. “It’s hard for Yang and Neptune to figure out how to design their costumes without a direction as well… So we really need to get things figured out. I thought using your acoustic guitar could make for a great middle ground.”

Well… it was obvious Pyrrha was overwhelmed by everything. Jaune didn’t know much about the other four, but he knew enough to know that their clashes in personality tended to be rather… extreme. 

“Well…. If you think I’d be able to help, I’d be happy to...” he responded. “Do you think Weiss would be receptive to it though? I mean… this is  _ me _ we’re talking about.” He  _ had _ just gotten a door slammed in his face after trying to ask her out on a date… “a bit too obnoxiously”, Oscar had said. “There’s Oscar, too. He’s kind of meek and I don’t really want to drag him into too much...”

“As far as Weiss goes, I think she’ll be receptive if it’s a request from me,” Pyrrha responded, “and once you play, I think she’ll understand my intention. I have faith in that. As for your friend… Why not talk to him about it? If it’s okay, both of you can sit with us at lunch tomorrow afternoon so we can start preparations.”

“Yeah…. That sounds good.”

  
He responded without thinking, waving to the good-natured Pyrrha as she turned away. She said she’d let her friends know he might be coming before walking away. He just smiled and waved, and watched the girl dressed in autumn colors leave. He was still worried about how Oscar would take the suggestion of sitting with them, but honestly this was one of the most exciting moments of his time at Beacon. 

After being near the bottom of the social ladder at school, this was an opportunity for both him and Oscar. He always felt his smaller friend deserved a bit more recognition for some of his work, but his aversion to the spotlight made it difficult. Maybe it was Jaune’s own desire, but he’d love nothing more than for both of them to be able to make a name for themselves before graduating. Especially since Oscar didn’t give his work enough credit most of the time. 

As he was thinking of his friend, he heard the quiet shuffle of Oscar walking up to him. He glanced downward to see his friend’s hazel eyes glancing upward toward him. They each waved in greeting before heading through the gates. It was silent and seamless, as it always was. It wasn’t until a couple minutes in that Jaune decided to mention his meeting with Pyrrha. 

“Hey.... Oscar?” His clumsy attempt to initiate the conversation began. “So… uh… something really happened earlier, before we met up.”

“Is that a good interesting or a bad interesting?”

“Well…. That depends on how  _ you _ view it, really...”

Oscar’s inquisitive glance seemed filled with his usual playful sass. Jaune felt his friend silently urging him to continue, but didn’t do so right away. Rather, there was a small moment of stammering and ‘um, well’s as he tried to process how to start. 

“So… I had a talk with Pyrrha at the gates a little while ago.”

So…. Oscar seemed to already know what he was going to ask. The quirked eyebrow and tilt of the brunette’s head told Jaune everything he needed to know. It was one of those ‘I’ve heard this before’ looks. Oscar didn’t say anything, no doubt to give him time to explain himself, but he felt like he already knew the answer before it was going to come. 

“It seems like she and her friends are having a little trouble preparing a performance for the Vytal Festival. A difference of opinion between Sun and Weiss.”

“Wait… Sun Wukong and Weiss Schnee…  _ Performing together? _ ”

“I know, right!?” Jaune laughed along with his friend, making the quick hand motions he was prone to making when excited. “They’re so  _ different _ ! Pyrrha didn’t tell me how Sun convinced her, but it seems like it’s happening… and Pyrrha thinks having my acoustic guitar as backup will help the two settle on a compromise for their… creative differences.”

“So, basically, what you’re telling me, is that you’re going to be backing two of the most popular and talented students in Beacon’s performing arts department in an actual performance?”

Oscar’s eyes were actually lighting up at the news. Jaune had assumed Oscar would be anxious about being associated with someone who’d gotten Pyrrha Nikos and Weiss Schnee’s approval (not that he’d actually gotten Weiss’ yet), but he actually seemed eager. Either something happened in class today that caused him to break out of his shell a bit…. Or, the more likely option, he was just happy for Jaune, personally. 

“Well… It’s not really set in stone, yet. There’s a bit of a catch….” he responded, causing Oscar’s bright expression to dim a bit. “Pyrrha wants me to sit with them at lunch tomorrow to iron everything out… and hopefully get the okay from Weiss and Sun. She offered to save a seat for the both of us...”

There Oscar went retreating into his hoodie like a turtle again. Jaune’d had a feeling that would happen, so he wasn’t particularly surprised. The silence from earlier continued. Jaune wanted to give the other time to think. He knew this would be a big step for Oscar if he agreed… but he really hoped he did. More than him, his younger friend was the one who deserved more attention. 

Unfortunately, his hopes would be dashed fairly quickly. 

“... I think you should go for it.” That one sentence had him soaring, right before Oscar would send him crashing to the ground. “I know you want recognition…. This is your chance. I…. don’t think I’ll go, though.”

“Oscar…. I had a feeling that would be your answer, honestly."

“Sorry… I know you have the best intentions, but I just don’t really think I’m ready for the expectations that would come with being part of that group...”

Hazel eyes darted away from Jaune’s blue. A few moments were spent on what was almost a small dance of trying to get their eyes to maintain contact. It wound up ending with Oscar’s victory, however, as his eyes went straight to the ground and he pulled up his hood. 

“I know how big this is. It’s an amazing opportunity…. For  _ you _ , Jaune. I want you to take it…. But don’t feel worried about me. I’m fine where I am.”

Another silence came. This time, it was Oscar trying to make eye contact with Jaune. Yet again, he wound up winning. Seeing the earnest smile of his friend, Jaune couldn’t very well say  _ no _ . He hesitated a moment, giving a small sigh. 

“I assume if I say ‘I’d rather do this with you, so I’ll stay with you if that’s not what you want’, you wouldn’t be happy?”

“Exactly. I’ll be fine by myself until the Festival. Most people don’t even realize I exist unless you’re around in the first place.”

“We’ll still be friends and hang out now and again, though, right?”

“Of course.”

The duo shot each other a smile. When they were just down the block from Oscar’s foster home, though, Jaune stopped as the brunette continued. It was their routine -- Jaune only walked all the way if Oscar was in a particularly bad mood. 

“See you tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah. See ya….”


	4. Beacon's Best & Brightest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At Oscar's insistence, Jaune spends lunch with Pyrrha and her friends alone. The group welcomes him, and he begins assisting them with their performance. Still, Oscar's absence is felt, and Jaune begins to worry that leaving his friend alone isn't the best idea, no matter how much the other insists he'll be fine.

Not being alongside his friend and partner made the awkward blond… even more awkward, really. Jaune had been running over how this was going to go since he’d parted ways with Oscar after their first few morning classes. What if Pyrrha couldn’t convince them to let him sit with them? What if he made an absolute fool of himself in front of the most talented up-and-coming artists in Vale? Oh, gods, he was getting sick just thinking about it. 

Alright, he needed to calm down. This was why he wanted Oscar to be here with him. Usually, if he started overreacting or freaking out his friend would be there to set him straight with some snarky comment. Or just a nice one. It varied. Either way, having the other there to reassure him would have been really helpful right about now. 

All he could do, however, was take a deep breath and try to think of the things his friend would tell him in this situation. After that, it was just a matter of taking the plunge. He walked through the crowds, heading towards the table Pyrrha and her friends often sat at during lunch. Once the familiar images of Beacon’s top students came into view, he paused brief period before trying to move toward them.

“Um… Hey.”

His meek greeting caused whatever animated conversation the group of five was having to grind to a halt. As they stopped, they all turned, and Jaune found all their eyes on him. He was kind of starting to understand why Oscar had a problem with being the center of attention. Jaune didn’t normally mind a bunch of people looking at him, but these five, in particular, caused his words to stick in his throat. 

He gulped down his nerves, though, and walked up to the table. How much confidence had Oscar told him was too much again? He couldn’t really remember. Oh well, he’d just have to try his best not to go too far and make Weiss angry at him… again. He smiled as casually as he could, not paying mind to the mutters of the surrounding students as he sat down by Pyrrha. 

“So… Pyrrha asked me to help out with preparing for Weiss and Sun’s performance?” He glanced around the group, noting that none of them seemed to averse to his presence, at least. In fact. Only Weiss had a disgruntled look on her face, but it wasn’t as bad as when he tried to flirt with her. Everyone seemed welcoming enough. 

“Oh, yeah. We heard about that just a moment ago.” Yang responded She leaned forward, glancing around from Pyrrha’s opposite side, and waved at him. “She told us you’re a pretty solid guitarist. Honestly, it’d be great if you could help these two hard heads get over this argument.”

“You’re hardly one to talk about being hard-headed, Yang,” came Weiss’ quick response. The snowy-haired girl sitting across from Pyrrha rolled her ice blue eyes. Though the playful laughter from Yang and quick ‘she’s not wrong’ from one of the two boys of the group (Neptune Vasilias) said the jibe was all in good fun. “That said, if Pyrrha’s recommending you, I suppose it’s worth giving you a shot.”

“Yeah, man, the more the merrier!” Came the response from Sun Wukong, who was sitting to one side of Weiss, with his friend Neptune in between them (no doubt due to the argument the two were apparently in the middle of). “Besides, the sooner we get this routine figured out the better.”

“Yeah well… Hopefully, I can help with that.” He wasn’t really as sure about his ability to as Pyrrha was, but at this point, there was very little going back. He’d just have to do what he could. “So… What exactly is the problem? Pyrrha told me it was a problem of the more modern Sun versus the more classically styled Weiss, but I don’t know anything other than that.”

He heard Neptune mutter something like ‘and here it comes again’, but didn’t pay it much mind. Well, it was more like he didn’t have much time to think about it before the aforementioned duo gave each other disgruntled looks. As they glared for half a second before turning away, Jaune realized what, exactly, he’d gotten himself into. Boy, this was going to be fun. 

“He’s way too relaxed, and doesn’t understand the idea of showcasing talent rather than just blinding the audience with show!”

“She’s being way too uptight! I get wanting to show she’s talented, but she doesn’t understand that show is part of performing!”

The two instantly started trying to assert themselves. At the exact same time. Their words mingled together, and the two of them were actively trying to out-talk each other. This caused everything to be a bit muddled, and impossible to follow. Luckily Pyrrha held up her hands in a motion to pause the two, managing to remain calm even during all of this. 

“Why don’t we do this one at a time?” Pyrrha asked. Her kind, but stern suggestion caused the two to instantly calm down. “Let’s start with Sun. Weiss, let him talk, then once he’s done you can alright?”

Though obviously reluctant to not get her point across first, Weiss nodded along with Pyrrha. Jaune gave a smile, silently thanking Pyrrha for her help. She just nodded at him, then looked at Sun as if gesturing for him to explain his situation.

“Alright, so!” Sun started off with high energy, and Jaune swore he saw Weiss rolling her eyes. “Long story short. I heard Weiss talking to Yang about being asked to perform for the Student Showcase. Apparently, she was told it was okay to collaborate with whatever students she’d want from other department and thought ‘Hey! The more the merrier, right?’. So I talked about all of us getting together to work on it.”

“All of you?” Jaune responded, and Sun nodded vigorously in response.

“Yeah, all of us! Weiss would be center stage singing, and all of us could contribute a little something. We could all showcase what we’re good at!” He seemed proud of himself for coming up with the idea (and honestly it was a pretty good one). As he went on though, his energy started to diminish a bit. “She went along with it and we got planning, but she took total control right away. Whenever I tried to make suggestions, they got shot right down.”

“Well that’s because --”

“Weiss,” Yang stopped the other, “Pyrrha said to let him speak, right? You’ll get your turn.”

Weiss stopped when the blonde interfered. As Sun gave her a victorious grin, she simply grimaced slightly. That said, she kept her promise and stayed quiet, allowing Sun to continue his side of the story. Jaune could tell it took everything she had not to, though, and Yang even had to hold a hand up now and again to forestall her. 

“Like, I get that she wants to show off her classically trained talents and stuff,” Sun continued, “but the whole point of the idea was for everyone to show off what they’re good at! Not for everyone to be there to make Weiss look good.” 

Sun’s explanation ended with him tilting his head toward Weiss. He made an exaggerated hand motion as if passing his side of the conversation on to the snowy-haired girl. Weiss rolled her eyes as if saying ‘finally’, before moving into her own argument. 

“It’s not my intention to be ‘controlling’ or belittle everyone’s contributions,” Weiss responded, “but the performance was something I was asked to do.” She crossed her arms in front of her, wearing a disgruntled expression. “I’d intended to ask Yang to design a dress for the performance that Headmistress Goodwitch had requested I do. Sun overheard and decided to get everyone else on it, but that doesn’t change the intent of the performance. ”

Jaune saw Sun making sarcastic gestures as Weiss was talking out of the corner of his eye. Honestly, it was an incredible challenge not to laugh when Neptune smacked him upside the head for it. He did manage to keep his eyes on Weiss, however. Thank goodness because she would probably chew him out if he did get too distracted. 

“I’ll commend Sun for his idea of getting everyone involved,” Weiss continued, “Working with everyone and giving their work to shine is a wonderful idea, I’ll admit. However, I feel like most of Sun’s ideas conflict with the vision I had for the show -- and so I’ve been trying to ask him to reign it in to work alongside my vision.”

“That’s basically the long and short of it, I believe,” Pyrrha spoke up after they both had their argument. “They each have their own styles and visions for this performance. That said, it’s difficult for Yang, Neptune and myself to finish our preparations for the costumes and set when they can’t decide which direction to go in.” She gave a concerned look to the two, who had gotten back into their argument, as she talked. 

“Well, the problem is that their styles are basically polar opposites,” Jaune responded. “So it’s kind of hard to blend them. It’s not impossible, though. We could easily pull it off if the song is a fusion of classic and the right genre.”

“Good luck convincing these two though,” Neptune quipped.

“Whose side are you on!?” Sun responded to his best friend’s comment. 

“The sensible one!” Was Neptune’s response. 

“Look at it this way, guys,” Jaune intervened, before Sun and Weiss tried to get Neptune and Yang in on the argument, “it’s like Headmistress Goodwitch always says. Individuality is the definition of art. If everyone’s going to be involved in this performance, then everyone has to have the opportunity to show their individual strengths.”

“Exactly,” Pyrra agreed. The exasperated tone in her voice told Jaune this wasn’t the first time the group had this conversation. “That leads me to my idea. Like I said before, Jaune’s an excellent guitarist. If what I heard at the gate yesterday is anything to go by, at least. Specifically, he plays acoustic guitar. That leans toward a fusion performance well, don’t you think?”

“Great idea, Pyrrha,” Neptune responded, smiling towards Jaune “Hopefully, now, these two can finally get over this and actually work on the performance?”

The group looked at the feuding duo. With all eyes on them, they each let out muted groans before reaching across the table and shaking hands. The group took that as them agreeing to a truce, and began to relax. 

“By the way, Jaune,” Pyrrha inquired, “I’m glad you’re here to help with the problems I and my friends have been having, but what about your friend? He didn’t come with you?”

“What frie-” Yang started to ask. The incident from the other day seemed to come over her, though, and she gave a small ‘aha!’ sound. “Oh, the little freckle-faced kid! Can’t believe I forgot.”

“I can,” Jaune responded with a small chuckle. “He kind of has that effect on people. A lot of people tend to not even realize he exists -- but he’s talented enough to have been asked by Professor Oobleck to create a piece for the Fine Arts department’s portion of the Showcase.”

“Why not introduce him properly then?” Weiss responded. “His talent sounds impressive.”

“Not to mention,” Yang interjected, giving Weiss a look that made Jaune think the other had a tendency to latch onto talented individuals, “someone with that kind of effect doesn’t have many friends."

“He’s kind of different,” Jaune stated. “It’s true he doesn’t have many friends, but he seems to prefer it that way. I asked him to come with me, but well… He doesn’t really like being the center of attention.”

“Huh. Weird."

Everyone glanced at Weiss when she made that comment. It was the same ‘of course  _ you’d _ say that’ on all of their faces. Well, it was only natural that _W_ _ eiss Schnee _ would find someone not being the center of attention weird. After all, it kind of came with being the heiress to one of Remnant’s largest Dust suppliers. 

“Well, he’s welcome to join us if he ever feels up to it,” Pyrrha reassured Jaune kindly. “We’d all be happy to meet him.”

“Yeah!” Yang responded happily. After that, though, she shifted to a more somber attitude. “I will say, though. Socially awkward types and quiet ones like that tend to get swept up in the whole goth movement pretty easily. Be careful about that."

“Honestly, I’ve been worried about that myself,” Jaune responded. “I can only really hope his aversion to being the center of attention will keep him from getting involved with them.”

“It’s not like goths themselves are bad people,” Yang agreed, “but Remnant’s pretty hard on them. Just… you seem like good friends, so keep him safe."

“And with that depressing topic over,” Neptune interrupted, “Let’s talk about the performance, shall we?

“Of course!” Weiss responded with enthusiasm. “This is our chance to make a name for ourselves as artists, so let’s not screw this up.”

“Says the one who was so caught up in her argument with Sun, we couldn’t make any progress in our discussions so far,” Yang quipped with a smirk. Neptune and Pyrrha laughed, meanwhile Weiss and Sun were shooting disgruntled looks at their friends.

Jaune settled into being part of this group fairly quickly. They were all pretty welcoming and happy to help him feel at home with the group-- though Weiss would still jibe at him if he tried to flirt with her  _ at all _ . Still, by the end of lunch, he was getting along with everyone just fine. By the end of the day, he was laughing and joking with them casually without even thinking about their status as ‘popular kids’. By the end of the  _ week _ , it was as if he’d always been part of the group. They were good people, and Jaune found himself wishing that Oscar could be there with him. No doubt he’d have plenty to add to the conversation. 

He did check in with Oscar throughout the first week he’d started hanging out with Pyrrha and her friends. He’d still meet up with him before and after school, but his friend insisted he’d be fine if Jaune wanted to spend time with his new friends. That said, Yang’s words about watching out for him rang in the back of Jaune’s mind. 

It hadn’t escaped him that during the week he’d been with the performance group, Oscar had been keeping to himself. Though he was happy to spend time with Jaune on occasion, the dark-haired boy still easily got caught in crowds. He was prone to sitting in the “goth bubble” at lunch, though he stayed away from the area of the bubble the goth kids actually sat at. 

It wasn’t like he’d have a problem if Oscar hung out with the goths  _ personally _ , but he couldn’t help but wonder if his friend could handle it. Not only would it direct a lot of attention toward him, but it would be  _ negative _ attention. At least being part of Pyrrha’s group would stave off the bullies. 

Like Yang had said, though… all he could do was keep an eye on him. With the hustle of working toward the performance, though, it was getting harder to do so. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short, Jaune-centric chapter. We finally meet the popular group in earnest! It makes for a rather lively group. That said, the fic's starting setup is starting to crawl to an end! The next few chapters are hopefully going to get things moving. I hope you look forward to it! \o/


	5. Belonging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Jaune has been kept busy with his new friends, Oscar has been left to his quiet solitude. That solitude ends quickly, though, when he has another run-in with the girl in black and red. The goth girl works up a conversation with him, and insists that he come stay with her and her friends for the evening.

____ The past week and a half was difficult for Oscar. It was quiet and uneventful, but that was a lot of the problem. With Jaune spending most of his time working on Festival preparations, the duo could only meet up twice, and they were each short conversations. Considering Jaune was the only person who proactively talked to, or even noticed him, the small boy could honestly say he hadn’t heard his own voice for  _ days _ .

Yeah…. It was kind of rough.

He had kind of expected this result though. That made it easier to cope with, at least. He could just tell himself ‘you expected this when you told Jaune to sit with them alone’ and be over it. Honestly, he’d rather do that and keep to himself than be shot down by others for coat tailing his way to the top of the social ladder. And he  _ would be _ . He knew ones like Cardin and his gang well enough by now.

The one good thing that came of this was that most people only really realized he was around when he was with Jaune. That was the thing with their friendship — Jaune gained anonymity by hanging around the practically invisible Oscar, but it was kind of hard to miss the tall, lanky blond kid. So, Oscar wound up being noticed more when Jaune brought him to others’ attention. It was a weird give-and-take.

That said, Oscar was honestly happy. It was difficult adjusting to not having his friend around, but Jaune was  _ thriving _ . He realized that fact as he walked by the gates, seeing a familiar head of blond hair like a beacon in the crowd (probably because its owner was about as tall as a lighthouse). Jaune was together with his friends, just inside the gates. He was leaning up against the wall around the school, busking on his guitar as Sun was doing weird, but kind of amazing, impromptu dancing. The students were gathering around the duo and cheering while the other four members of the group looked on.

As he walked by, Oscar smiled in the other’s direction. His friend had found where he belonged; where he’d wanted to be all along. He wasn’t surprised when the other didn’t notice him. He was mingled in with the crowd, so it was expected that the other didn’t know he was there. What wasn’t expected, though, was the one person who seemed to notice. 

“Good for him, huh?”

Oscar didn’t know how he’d failed to notice the small crowd around the gates parting so quickly. Nor how he’d failed to notice the small bubble forming around him as the girl approached. It wasn’t until he heard her voice that he jolted out of his own mind and turned to face her. The girl in black with the red hood and camera from a little over a week ago. He’d seen her coming and going from time to time, but they never really  _ talked _ , not since she ran into him in the halls.

“Huh!?”

“Oh… Sorry,” She apologized with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders. “Did I startle you?” He heard her laughing at his dumbfounded nod before turning back to the group by the gates. Oscar noticed her eyes fixed on Yang for a moment before turning them back on Jaune. “He’s your friend, right? I think I saw you in the halls with him once or twice.”

“Uh… Yeah,” was his meek response. Hazel eyes darted around the crowd, most of which were paying more attention to Pyrrha’s group. There were glances sent his and the girl’s way though, which made him apprehensive. Being seen with a goth was never good. “Well… He always kind of wanted this, though. I think it’s fine. I should be going.”

He turned away from the girl, and the school, and moved at a brisk pace through the gates. Oh, he would go through hell if the wrong people were part of that group. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to talk to her; she seemed nice enough. The ‘goth by association’ hazing that would follow, though… he could do without.

So, he made his way into town towards his ‘home’. He forgot that most goths lived off campus, so the girl just followed him. He heard her humming from behind — and at this point had just given up on trying to get her to leave him be. He couldn’t since he didn’t really dislike her all that much.

“You live off campus?” He heard her ask, “That’s unusual.”

“I’m kind of special,” he responded, “I’m something of a ‘scholarship’ student, but only my tuition is being paid. Not room and board.”

“Ooh, you’re a scholarship student!?” She got excited suddenly. It caused Oscar to jolt and inch away from her, but she only got closer with an eager sparkle in her eye. “ _ I’m _ a scholarship student! We’re the same! You seem a little young, too. Which would make us even more the same!”

“Er… Uh… Yeah. I guess we are similar, then.” He gave the girl a sheepish smile. Being a little ways away from the gates he wasn’t as concerned about being friendly with her. “Granted… I don’t really know why I decided to attend. Art’s just a hobby for me, really. By chance, I was just given the opportunity and took it. I don’t really have any statement I want to make, any form of motivation, or anything like that right now.”

“Hm… Nope.”

“Huh? ‘Nope’ what?”

“Nope.”

“You know… You’re kind of a difficult person to talk to.”

“I’ve been told I can be sometimes,” she smiled at him as she responded. She placed her hands behind her back, bouncing as she stepped. “Still… Nope. I think if you got noticed enough to be given any form of payment towards Beacon, then there must be  _ something _ your art is conveying. You just don’t see it yet.”

“Huh… Maybe...” He hadn’t really thought of it that way. “If that is the case though… I’d sure like to know what it is I’m conveying. According to the few I’ve asked my art has a kind of ‘gothic’ sense… which scares me a little.”

“He says, in front of the goth girl.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry, I said it without thinking...” He forced out. “I don’t have any problems with gothic art… I actually kind of like some of it. It’s just that I don’t like being the center of attention and…. Adopting a gothic style would  _ definitely _ make me the center of attention...”

“Maybe that would help your confidence?” She more asked than considered. “Isn’t Headmistress Goodwitch always saying that ‘individuality is the definition of art’ or something like that? You’ll gain confidence if you find out what makes you, you. I think? Probably.”

Oscar just gave a sheepish laugh in response. Honestly, this girl was so all over the place he didn’t even know where to start or how to point it out. So, when he heard a rather eager ‘Oooh!’ from her, he already had a feeling he should be concerned.

“I Just had the best idea! You should come stay the night with me and my friends!”

“What!?”

“To help you find your niche! It’ll be fun, I promise!”

“That’s not what I’m worried about!”

“One of my friends is a guy… so you don’t have to worry about being surrounded by girls?”

“While reassuring… not what I’m worried about, either.”

“Then what!?”

The girl’s over the top reactions made it so that Oscar couldn’t help smiling. Her animated expressions and movements almost made him think of Jaune, for a moment. Perhaps if she wasn’t a goth the two of them could have been friends before Oscar had reached out to him. The playful back and forth was almost familiar… but kind of different at the same time.

“For one… Why are you so adamant about this?” he inquired. “I mean, we’ve only talked once before… and even then it can’t really be considered a conversation...”

“Well, you’re one of the few non-goths who’s taken the time to talk to me for one,” she said, turning and walking backwards to face him as she did so. “Besides that… I feel like the two of us are kind of similar. Tuition students, younger than the others at Beacon We’re both traditional arts students too!”

“Right… I take it you’re a photography student?”

“Gee, what gave it away?”

The two shared a small laugh together. Honestly, it was the most comfortable Oscar had felt in a while… despite the earlier discomfort at the attention they’d gathered. As his eyes made contact with hers, seeing her smiling toward him, they darted away almost instantly.    
  
“So? What do you say? Come meet my friends?”

“.... Sure. Why aren’t you with your friends, anyway?”

“Uh…. I totally  _ didn’t _ get caught sleeping in Professor Port’s class and get held after class for a lecture!”

The over-eagerness in the statement told Oscar that that was  _ exactly  _ what happened. He couldn’t resist the urge to burst out laughing, hardly paying any mind to the pouty look on the girl’s face. The two shared easygoing conversation like this the entire walk to the apartment building the girl called ‘home sweet home’. 

The building was made of dark gray and white brick. It certainly had a ‘gothic’ vibe to it. Not to mention looking a bit pricey for a bunch of Beacon students to afford. He stood in awe at the building for a brief moment, before being eagerly dragged up a set of stairs by the wrist. 

“Come on, come on! Let’s go! I Can’t wait for you to meet everyone!”

  
He allowed himself to be dragged along by his overly eager new acquaintance. He followed her up to the second floor, allowing her to push him into an apartment numbered 0718. She practically shoved him in, shouting ‘guys, I’m home!’ very loudly. He cringed at the volume, but not long after the greeting he had more to busy himself about. 

He saw three people in the apartment. One, a faunus girl in black and white, was sitting in the living area with a thick book. The other two came in from the kitchen. A girl in black with a pink top, and pink lining on the hem of her shorts and jacket, trailing a boy in mostly black, with a green top that seemed Mistral in make and a magenta-shaded streak in his bangs. The girl’s friends were all rather unique in appearance, and all seemed rather surprised to see a non-goth in their apartment. 

“I brought a new friend!” Was her explanation — though the term friend seemed a bit hasty to him. The others seemed to realize that, too. 

“Sorry about her,” was the faunus girl’s first remark. “Did she drag you into this?”

“I came willingly,” he responded “though she was… rather insistent.”

“She always is,” The other girl responded with a laugh. “If you actually  _ want _ to be here, though… heaven forbid we stop you!”

“I’m making snacks,” the boy greeted, “feel free to make yourself comfortable until they’re ready.”

  
The girl that had dragged him there squealed excitedly the moment snacks were mentioned. “Ren’s in the Culinary Department, so snacks made by him are going to be super good!”

“That reminds me,” the faunus girl reacted, “We haven’t been introduced.”

Oscar looked over to the silver-eyed girl. “Actually, we haven’t either. I kind of got swept up in her pace before I realized it.”

The rest of the group laughed as his new acquaintance just smiled sheepishly, bouncing on the heels of her feet a moment. Oscar could tell the four of them were good friends, there was a warm atmosphere around the apartment for its design being so dark. 

“Let’s remedy that, then,” the faunus girl responded. “I’m Blake Belladonna.”

“Nora Valkyrie!”

“Lie Ren — everyone calls me Ren.”

“And I’m Ruby!” the silver-eyed girl greeted him. “Ruby Rose!”

“I’m… Oscar. No… No surname.”

The group smiled at him and exchanged pleasantries. Ren and Nora went back into the kitchen, and Ruby dragged him over to a sofa so that they could sit and talk. 

“Oh…! Should I have let you go home to get an overnight bag…?”

“It’s fine,” he responded, “The home I live in is a pretty good distance from here, anyway. It would have taken a lot longer.”

“He can borrow some of my pajamas,” he heard Ren call from the kitchen, “Might be a bit big for him, though.”

“So that’s settled!”

The group just smiled and rolled their eyes at Ruby’s short-sightedness. Oscar figured it was a trait of hers that reared its head quite often. It wasn’t much of a surprise to him, really, from what little he’d seen of her. It was kind of endearing, though. 

“So, Oscar,” Blake poked her eyes out from behind her book. “You’re a student at Beacon? What’s your department?”

“Ah, yeah,” he responded shakily. He smiled sheepishly, setting his bag down. “Traditional arts…. fine arts, specifically.”

“Blake’s creative writing,” Ruby responded quickly. “She writes some great poetry! Nora’s fine arts too, and I’ve already told you that I’m photography and Ren’s culinary. That’s everyone!~”

Blake rolled her eyes at the way Ruby basically explained everyone. She didn’t seem to mind too much though, since Blake herself seemed the quiet type. Friendly enough, just not one for conversation, most of the time. 

“I really hope we can be friends, Oscar,” Ruby responded, “Us tuition students have to stick together. Ah — I guess I should include the others in ‘we’ too, sorry.”

“Don’t worry, Ruby,” Blake reassured her, “We’re used to it.”

Oscar chuckled, taken in by the friendly atmosphere. He felt more comfortable with this group than he ever had — except when he was with Jaune, perhaps. Maybe, if he spent enough time with the four of them, though… he could even be as close with them as he was with his friend. 

“Well...” he started meekly. He debated what he was going to say for a moment, unsure whether or not it was a good idea. “I think I’d like to be friends. At least… I wouldn’t mind getting to know you all better.”

“Alright then, we’re friends!” Ruby responded “No taking it back!”

“Aren’t you worried about being considered goth by association?” Blake asked. He could see the concern in her eyes. “I don’t mean to be the pessimistic one, but… I don’t want to drag you into our problems.”

“It’s… fine,” he consented. “I’ve always been a bit… different, I think. I don’t really intend to fully become a goth myself, but… You all seem nice enough, and I could really use the company, I think.”

He glanced between the two girls sitting in the room with him. He couldn’t see most of Blake’s eyes from behind her book, but he could see a small warmth in her eyes. Ruby was practically beaming, and set her hand on his with a smile.

“Well, we’re happy to give it to you! We’re friends, now, after all.”

“Yeah…. Friends.”


	6. Goth By Association

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar spends time getting to know Ruby and her eccentric group of friends. He gets attached to the group quickly, and slowly starts to feel like a part of it. Unfortunately, word travels fast, and one of the worst possible people seems to find out about his new friends.

The group had pulled the chairs and loveseat in the living area into a circle, with the dark oak coffee table in the center. Ren and Nora were on the loveseat. Blake, Ruby, and Oscar all had dark wooden dining chairs with cushions of different colors. The cushions on Blake's were black, Ruby had a deep red, and Oscar had dark green (which he assumed was normally Ren's). 

He watched as Ruby eagerly shoved the brownies Ren had just finished making into her mouth. Did she just have a sweet tooth, or was it Ren's cooking, he wondered? Nora was doing the same, but according to Blake and Ruby, she was known among the group to be a glutton. Especially when it came to Ren's snacks (according to them, breakfast tomorrow morning was something to look forward to for a lot of reasons).

“Um… thanks for being so welcoming,” he said. He wasn't sure what he expected when Ruby dragged him to the apartment, but this definitely exceeded whatever it was. “Considering what I can only imagine you guys go through, I would have understood if you were more defensive.”

“There’s little point,” Ren reassured him while sipping tea, “Rather than being defensive against everyone, we usually prefer resorting to that if someone shows hostility.”

“Which…  _ Is _ most of the time,” Nora followed up. “That being said, there’s  _ no way _ you would have been dragged here if you were hostile. So, we just kind of assumed you were a kindred spirit.”

Well… They certainly weren’t wrong. He was about as close as a ‘kindred spirit’ as this group would be able to find in a normal person. 

“Well, either way, I still wanted to say thanks,” he responded. “I wasn’t exactly expecting to not only be welcomed, but given snacks made by a culinary major and offered a chance to stay the night.”

“Well, Ren was making snacks anyway,” Blake responded.

“And wait until  _ dinner _ !” was Nora’s addition.

None of the group could resist laughing at Nora’s enthusiasm. While he couldn’t describe the gothically-decorated apartment as ‘bright’, the atmosphere in the room definitely was. The group talked about their respective crafts, professors, and classes. Eating snacks, drinking tea, and showing off their works for hours that only seemed like minutes. 

“Your art is amazing, Oscar!” Ruby praised as she flipped through his sketchbook. “You use such bright colors, but I can get such a feeling of isolation from them. You could really go far in the Goth community, you know.”

“Uh… Thanks. I’m not really sure I’m planning on going that path, though.” After all, if he did actually adopt a gothic style, pretty much all of his other bridges (the few he had) would be burned. He was already risking the ‘goth by association’ title at this point. 

“Understandable,” was Blake’s response, “a shame, though.” 

“Things are looking up for goths, though!” Nora insisted, “After all, Headmistress Glynda and the professors at Beacon are allowing a few goth students to have their works shown at the Showcase for the Vytal Festival!”

“Nora!” Ren chastised, “That’s supposed to be a secret.”

“Wait, Beacon is what!?”

“Too late, now, Ren,” Blake responded in a level, but amused, tone to Oscar’s surprise. 

Ren pinched at the bridge of his nose in exasperation, shaking his head as Nora quickly moved her hands to her mouth after noticing her mistake. The duo, if nothing else, was amusing to watch interact with each other. 

“Well, considering you already know,” Ruby responded, rolling her eyes at Nora, “Nora basically said everything. Some goth students have been asked to participate in the Festival — though it hasn’t been announced yet. Probably won’t until we get closer to the festival, itself. Those goths… Happen to be us.”

“Well, them,” Ren responded, “and a couple of others. The culinary department doesn’t really do much. We  _ do _ cater the event, but well… With not many goths attending, there’s little point for gothic culinary students to get involved.”

“Aside from that,” Nora responded, “Ruby and I will both have displays, and Blake’s writing poetry and short prose to use as the descriptions for our works!”

“That’s amazing!” Oscar responded, “It’s a huge step forward. Leave it to Beacon and Headmistress Glynda.”

“It’s also,” Ren reiterated, “a  _ secret. _ ”

“I don’t think we have to worry about Oscar,” Ruby reassured him, putting a hand on Oscar’s shoulder. “He’s kind of a loner normally, other than his one friend who’s kind of hanging out with Yang’s group right now.”

“You know Yang?” Oscar responded. 

“Well, everyone at Beacon kind of does,” Ruby responded, “but… Yeah. It’s a long story.”

The other three each glanced away. It made Oscar wonder what Ruby’s relationship with the hot-headed blond was, but he wasn’t going to get his answer that evening. Before he could ask anything, Blake quickly and cleverly changed the topic. 

“Just make sure you don’t tell anyone about this, alright?”

“Of course!” Oscar responded, “I’m not about to send a witch hunt after you guys.”

“ _ Seriously _ ,” Nora responded, “It'd happen, too. Especially with guys like Cardin out to lead the charge.”

“Says the one who's always suggesting we break his legs,” Ren quipped somewhat playfully. “Anyway, it’s been a few hours now. I’ll make dinner, then we should all wind down and get ready for bed. We have school tomorrow, after all.”

“Thanks, Ren,” the other three all responded in unison. Oscar’s meeker ‘thank you’ was a bit off-beat. They’d only known each other for a few hours, after all. It wasn’t like he was going to be perfectly in unison right away. 

Nora wasn’t kidding when she said ‘wait until dinner’, for the record. Nora stepped into the kitchen partway through to act as an assistant, and before long the five students were enjoying (“devouring” would be the more correct term for Nora and Ruby) one of the best dinners Oscar had ever had. Though, being an orphan, maybe that didn’t account for much? 

Well, either way, it wasn’t long until the day was coming to an end. Ren showed him to a guest room they  _ apparently  _ had (‘for when my uncle comes to visit’, Ruby had said). From there, they all wound down, did some class work, and showered before getting some sleep. Oscar borrowed some of Ren’s pajamas (which were _ huge _ on him due to the height difference).

“Are you sure it's okay for you to spend the night?” Ren asked as he finished changing. “You haven't contacted anyone, and it was rather sudden.”

“It's fine,” Oscar responded. “With permission from the professors, I've spent nights in Jaune's dorm. The caretaker of the home didn't even notice I never came home.”

“Couldn't that be considered neglect?”

“Sometimes I wonder. Good night.”

“Good night.”

The night spent at Ruby and her friends’ apartment was one of Oscar’s best nights of rest since he’d started attending Beacon. Full from a big dinner, and relaxed after making new friends, he settled into sleep almost instantly. Just one night with these four, and already he was feeling conflicted about having to go back to the home the next day.

When the next day  _ did _ come, however, he knew he had to. He enjoyed breakfast with the group, but as they walked toward Beacon together the pressure was unreal. Perhaps because he stood out, being the only member of the group who  _ wasn't  _ in black, but he could feel the eyes of the people around them boring holes into him.

“Sorry, ” Ruby whispered to him at one point, “kind of comes with the territory, y'know?”

“I guess I'm just used to being passed over completely,” he admitted, “all these eyes on me are kind of weird.”

He tried his hardest to avert his eyes from the crowd. He kept them downward, and so was caught off guard when a sudden warmth grasped his hand. Ruby had entwined her hand with his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Flustered, Oscar smiled in thanks but glanced away quickly. 

“You know,” Blake interjected, “You could split away if you wanted. We'd all understand.”

“It's fine,” was Oscar's response. “I’ve decided I want to be friends with you guys. So… I want to get used to it.”

“It's  _ a lot _ of negative attention, though,” Nora piped in. “Like, I only became goth because Ren did. Even then, it was only after a pretty long period of dealing with dirty looks and hostility for sticking by him. Figured, ‘if they're going to treat me this way anyway’, y'know.”

“People seem to think of groups as ‘goth’ and ‘not goth’.” Ren responded, “Friends tend to get labeled as goths, even if they aren’t.”

“All because of  _ stupid _ people holding a  _ stupid _ grudge from a  _ stupid  _ war that happened  _ decades  _ ago!”

“Not going to work a fourth stupid in there?”

The rest of the group chuckled together at Oscar's friendly jab toward Nora. The target of said jab simply stuck her tongue out at him before laughing along. 

“By the way, Ruby” Blake informed, “I get that you want to be supportive, but you've kind of been holding Oscar's hand for half the walk.”

It was the faunus girl's comment that made the two realize their hands were still entwined. They promptly separated, faces flushed and falling silent. They'd seriously been holding hands all the way to Beacon's front gate!?

“Uh, well...” Oscar stammered, “I’m going to head off on my own for a while. Want to take some time to myself to work on my piece for the Festival. I’ll… see you guys later.”

“Right, later!” Ruby squeaked, speaking and waving hastily. 

_ ~*~*~* Pyrrha & Weiss’ Dorm*~*~*~ _

As had become usual lately, the group was gathered in the early morning. They went over the previous day’s classwork together before working on their own individual projects. Jaune was working on writing down some phrases on blank music sheets. Weiss seemed to be fine-tuning the lyrics for their upcoming performance. As she did so, she glanced down at Yang, who was working on design concepts with Neptune on the floor. 

“Yang, weren’t you designing my dress for the performance?” She inquired, “It seems more like you’re designing an outfit for Sun.”

Sure enough, as Jaune glanced down at the designs the two were creating, it seemed like their designs were the exact opposite of their original plan. Initially, they’d planned for Yang to design a dress for Weiss, and Neptune would be designing for Sun. 

However, on Yang’s paper was a sketch of a masculine figure. It was kind of a punkish look, but a deep goldenrod button-up and white tie (though it was tied loosely in the sketch) made it a bit more formal-looking. A blend of casual and formal that was perfect for Sun. Neptune's was more feminine, a pure white dress with icy blue snow designs, as well as some tasteful diamond accessories.

“Oh yeah,” Yang responded. “Neptune and I swapped designs. Since I have more of a party vibe, and he's more classy. Figured it would match better.”

“Look forward to working with you, Weiss.” Neptune gave Weiss a small wink, and Jaune swore he heard Weiss whisper a “thank you” to Yang.

“So,” Sun interjected, “breakfast time?”

“Oh, thank goodness, I'm hungry,” Jaune agreed, “cafeteria?”

The group left the dorm together, chatting happily about what they wanted from the cafeteria for breakfast. 

It was while they were eating that Jaune's day started going downhill.

“Ah, there you are Jaune,” came a  _ very _ haughty,  _ very  _ familiar voice. “Thought I'd find you here.”

“We sit here every day, Cardin,” He responded to his old bully. The other hadn't messed with him much since he started hanging out with his new group. “What do you want?”

“Someone’s gotten confident.” Was Cardin's response. “Unfortunately, I'm not here to mess with you today. Actually, I have a little information that you might be interested in.”

“We're not interested in anything  _ you _ have to say, Cardin.” Sun piped up, standing from his seat as if about to start a fight. 

“You might not,” he said, ignoring Sun's outburst, “but Jaune here definitely will be. It involves his little friend, after all. The one I thought was imaginary for a while.”

“You never actually thought Oscar was imaginary,” Jaune quipped. “Why should I take anything you say seriously?”

“Whether you do or not is your choice,” the bully seemed to admit, “but I just wanted to let you know. It seems he might be turning over toward the goths.”

“You're messing with him,” Neptune insisted.

“Afraid not,” Cardin responded. “He was seen talking with the little red-hooded leader of that goth group that the teachers seem keen on.”

“Ruby!?” Yang's exclamation surprised everyone, and she sat back down (having shot up) as soon as she noticed. 

“You know her, Xiao Long?” Cardin inquired. 

“Long story,” was her quick rebuttal, “and none of  _ your  _ business anyway.”

“Well, anyway, ” Cardin noted, “he was seen chatting with that Ruby girl by the gate yesterday after school. They even left together. Thought you might want to know and have a word with him before the damage is irreversible.”

“Why do you even  _ care? _ ” Weiss interjected. 

“I don't, not really, ” was his confession, If the kid goes goth, well… for me, it's just fuel to mess with him more. This is more of a peace offering since Jauney boy's moving up in the world.”

“In other words, ” Pyrrha quipped, “You know that, now that Jaune's friends with us, you'll have a harder time messing with him.”

“Cuz we'd give you a beating if you did,” Yang and Sun interrupted in unison. 

“Either way, ” Cardin attempted to redirect the conversation, “I've said my piece. You don't believe me, go see for yourself. He's probably hanging around those goth kids somewhere. Later.”

“Well, that was obnoxious, ” was Neptune's response. As Cardin walked away.

Still, Jaune couldn't get it out of his head. He knew Oscar empathized with the goths, some of his work was even rather gothic in nature. He wouldn't really be surprised to learn that his friend had become part of the goth crowd.

Perhaps that was why he'd excused himself to go take a look. He hated feeling like he wanted to believe Cardin of all people, but it just wouldn't get out of his mind. So, he wandered the campus until he found his way to the gate. Seeing a familiar mop of dark hair, he was relieved at first. 

“Hey, Oscar! You're later than —”

And then his heart sank, causing him to freeze.

Surrounding Oscar was a group of students dressed mostly in black. Dark makeup, colored hair — and one of them was a small girl in a red hood. They seemed to be getting on well. Oscar seemed to be embarrassed for some reason, but was laughing along with the group. 

As his friend broke away from the group, Jaune snapped himself out of it. He walked up to the freckle-faced boy, waving him over. 

“Hey Oscar, ” he repeated his greeting, “You don't usually get in this late.”

“Jaune!” Oscar seemed to light up. It had been a while since they talked after all. “Yeah, well… I kind of made some new friends and wound up dragged into spending the night with them. They made breakfast, so I didn’t need to come in early.”

“Yeah… I actually heard...” He paused as he started awkwardly. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to inquire about it too much, but he’d already started. “Um… I heard you were seen hanging around a goth girl in a red hood, yesterday.”

“Wow… Word travels fast.”

“Yeah, well, you can blame Cardin for that.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

The two shared a small snicker. Neither of them liked Cardin for obvious reasons. It was almost a shared joke between them, at this point. Though they tried to be as discreet as possible to keep Cardin from finding out. 

“So… Are you sure about that?” he asked. 

“What do you mean by that?” Was Oscar’s slightly curt response. Jaune couldn’t blame him, he could have found a better way to phrase it

“I mean,” he tried to correct, “I just want to make sure you won’t regret it, Oscar. It’s going to be a lot of attention, and you’re not exactly the best under pressure...”

“Thanks for worrying about me,” oh thank god, he understood, “but it’s fine. Ruby and the others are great, and I feel really comfortable around them. I know I’m not good under pressure, but… I kind of feel like I want to risk it.”

“If you’re sure…. Then I won’t ask again,” Jaune reassured him. Oscar had been more than supportive when he broke away to Pyrrha’s group, so he didn’t want to be too pushy. “I’ll warn you though, Cardin mentioned that if you started getting in with the goths, he’d be harrassing you more.”

“Boy, isn’t that fun,” he responded, “You’re not mad?”

“Pf, no way,” Jaune waved his friend off, “If you’re happy hanging with them, then you should hang with them.”

“Still friends?”

“The best.”


	7. Divided

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Oscar learns a little more about Ruby, he also learns one important fact. The divide between goths and non-goths is wider than he thought. Backed into a corner by Cardin's harrassment, Oscar takes some time to himself and has an encounter with a rather unique individual.

Oscar wished everything could go as smoothly as his conversation with Jaune. Unfortunately, the rest of Remnant, or at least Vale (but probably Remnant) would prove far less accepting of his decisions.

Word traveled fast indeed, and it seemed Cardin was already spreading rumors. By the time a week had passed, Oscar couldn't get away with being invisible anymore. He was getting the same disdainful sideways glances Ruby and the others did, even when alone. Like Ren had said, he was only being seen as a member of the goth community.

“So… I think I'll eat lunch with you guys today… If you don't mind.”

He resisted the urge to laugh at the awe-struck looks of his friends. Not that he blamed them. For the sake of keeping a low profile, he'd been trying to have lunch, and walk most places on his own. Since Cardin had apparently made sure staying invisible would be impossible for him, though….

Well, might as well go all in. 

“Really, Oscar!?” Ruby chirped happily. 

“It's gotten to the point where I get the same looks whether we're together or not, ” he admitted. “So I thought I should just give in.”

“We'll convert him yet!” Nora teased, causing soft chuckles from Blake and Ren. 

“Good luck,” was his simple response.

He gave a sly smirk to Nora as he sat down at the group's usual table — smack dab in the middle of the goth bubble. He hadn't really noticed where it was, before now. As he felt himself being dragged (as usual, whenever Ruby was involved), however, he found himself thankful. At least, since most steered away from the bubble he wouldn't have to worry about being harassed. 

“Well, look who it is.”

Well, so much for that. The group didn't even have to turn around to know Cardin was behind them. He caught them right before they moved into the bubble. 

Keeping hold of Oscar's arm, Ruby turned to glare at Cardin. Mental note: she was cute normally, but  _ don't _ make her angry. Cardin didn't seem fazed, and Oscar had to wonder how. If looks could kill, Cardin would be dropping to the ground. 

“And here I was, trying to be  _ polite _ about saying goodbye.”

“What are you on about, Cardin?” Oscar questioned sarcastically, obviously taking the bully none too seriously. He gave the other an incredulous look, and the taller just glared in response. 

“Oh, you haven't heard?” Cardin asked, “Students from the other schools will be arriving for the festival in a week or so. Apparently, the Headmistress wants to have an assembly to talk about the gothic community at Beacon and the other schools. Something tells me it won't be long until you'll have to say goodbye to your friends.”

Cardin was acting pretty smug. Nothing different from usual, but it was pretty obvious to the group. He thought the assembly was the teachers saying that gothic art wouldn't be allowed anymore. 

Oscar and Ruby shared some knowing smirks. Well, so much for having to be worried. The group of goths, who knew what the truth behind the assembly probably was, resisted the urge to laugh at Cardin. He was  _ not _ going to be happy, later. 

“Get lost, Cardin,” Oscar shrugged him off. 

“What, suddenly confident thanks to your little goth girlfriend?”

“Sh...she's not my—!”

He felt his arm being tugged backward. Ruby was glaring Cardin down while pulling Oscar back into the group. His four, admittedly rather intimidating, friends glared the bully down and pulled him toward their table. 

He tried to ignore Cardin's shouts behind him. He and his friends knew full well that the terror wouldn't get what he wanted. They exchanged some satisfied snickers before sitting down.

“Don't let Cardin's hot air get to you, ” Nora reassured him. “We’re all perfectly capable of  _ slugging _ him if you need us too.”

“Yeah!” Ruby cheered, “I can’t quite deck a guy like sis, but Nora taught me a few tricks that are particularly effective on guys like him.”

“Okay one,” Oscar instantly responded, turning to Nora, “If she means what I think it means, why would you teach her to do that?”

“Because it’s  _ useful! _ ” Nora responded, “Besides, it’s not like we’d use that tactic on you or Ren, so you guys have nothing to worry about.” She made a dismissive hand waving motion, laughing as she finished her statement. 

“Okay…. Two,” he continued, “You have a sister, Ruby?”

It was an innocent question, but all of a sudden the group went quiet. Ruby scrunched her shoulders inward, as if she hadn’t meant to say that. The other three all looked at each other, he could tell they were looking for some kind of way to cover what she’d said. Ruby seemed to decide against a cover story, though. After a meek glance, she took a deep breath and just shrugged. 

“Yang.” A one-word response. 

“Wait… as in Yang  _ Xiao Long _ !?” he responded, “Isn’t that amazing, though? With a sister like that, surely things would be easier for — ”

“You’re thinking in the wrong direction,” Blake responded, flipping the pages of the book she was reading. “It’s more like things are harder for Yang.”

Oscar didn’t need to ask why. Because of his friendship with Jaune, he kind of understood. His friend was becoming more popular, but he’d probably always be judged as having been Oscar’s friend. He guessed that Yang being Ruby’s sister would have a similar effect. So, he decided to drop the topic. He focused on the food that Ren put in front of them all, instead.    


“Of course, we have different last names,” Ruby responded. “I have my mom’s last name, and she took our dad’s.”

“You’re half sisters?”

“Yup. It’s a  _ really _ long story.”

The group ate for a moment, but Oscar could tell. Blake, Ren, and Nora were all silently glancing at Ruby. It was as if they were quietly trying to reassure her that it would be okay if she told the whole story. In the end, she seemed to agree. 

“I guess… You’re one of us now. You should probably know.” She stirred the food on her plate with a fork, taking a deep breath as if preparing herself. 

“Honestly,” Ren cut in, as if giving Ruby time to get composed, “It will probably be a valuable story for you, Oscar.”

“Yeah,” Ruby agreed with a nod, “I’ll give you the abridged version. So, my family’s a bit… weird. Right now, it’s me, Yang, our dad, Yang’s mom, and our uncle.”

“What about your mom?”

“There… Was an accident several years ago,” He didn’t need any more information than that, but Ruby continued. “Mom managed to get a bunch of her works in a huge exhibit over in Mistral. She went to get things set up for it, and never came back.”

“Oh….”

“Anyway!” she responded, “Abridged version! So, mom — er, Yang’s mom, but right now kind of more my mom — and our uncle Qrow were goths. Like, kinda big-time goth artists. Dad and  _ my _ mom were normal, but they were all kind of friends for a while. Dad wound up marrying both mine and Yang’s mom. Yang happened, I happened, and things were pretty cool until the accident.”

“You don’t need to say anything more if you don’t want to,” he tried to reassure her. This time, he put his hand on hers, but she just squeezed back and shook her head. 

“It’s fine,” she responded with a grin, as if to tell him she’d be strong, “Anyway, so after the accident, I kind of absorbed myself in a lot of uncle Qrow’s work to get over it. He taught me how to use a camera, do gothic-style makeup, and before I knew it I was completely part of the goth crowd. Dad and Yang weren’t happy, wanted to protect me. In the end, I started living with mom and uncle Qrow . Got accepted on a scholarship to Beacon, similar to you, and they and Blake’s parents paid for our apartment after we met. We met Ren and Nora not long after, and that’s the story!”

“Moral of the story,” Blake pointed out, “The social divide between goths and non-goths don’t discriminate. More than just friendships wind up separated.”

“And with  _ that _ heavy conversation!” Nora interjected, nudging Blake with her elbow as if getting onto her for being overly negative, “Ren! More food!”

“You already ate all that!?” Oscar asked in disbelief. 

The group of five joined in laughter, and Oscar felt more connected to all of them than he ever had. They were like a small family, of sorts, just hoisting each other through the hardships that came with being goth. The levity continued throughout most of the rest of the day. Around the end of the day though, he would really learn the importance of Ruby’s story. 

He’d stayed late working on his piece. All that was left was to get it on the canvas, but the past weeks had seen him making so many revisions he wasn’t sure what to do. Perhaps it was the instability in his friendship with Jaune, since that friendship was the center of the piece. Instead, he found himself sketching his black pencil down to the nub as he sketched another piece in his sketchbook as if possessed. 

He’d found himself doing just that until later in the evening. He and the others had all been staying late working lately. At a certain time, they’d meet up and head back to Ruby and the others’ apartment. Or at least part way, since Oscar had to return to the foster home at some point. It had become something of a routine as the youngest of the group settled into being part of the small “Family”. 

As he was returning to the gates that evening, though, was when it happened. He left one of Beacon’s art rooms, distraught over still having nothing on his canvas, and how much it would cost to get more black pencils. Who would have thought that in the span of a week he could go through so many? Not him. 

“About time you left. I was about to give up and leave. Bad luck for you, I guess.”

The familiar voice caused him to jump backwards. He knew it anywhere, and he knew what it meant. Cardin had, naturally, been messing with him constantly since he started hanging out with Ruby. Luckily, though, he’d always been with the group when it happened. Like earlier. It didn’t seem he was as lucky this time, though, since he turned to see the much bigger, much more muscular boy leaning against a wall. 

Well, this wasn’t good. 

“You were waiting for me?”

“Yep. Should have stayed in there a few more minutes, if you had I would have left.”

“What do you want?”

He tried to back up, but of course, wound up backing right into the art room’s door. Cardin, the smug jerk, waltzed right up to him. He felt a tug at the color of his jacket and the thud of a fist on the door beside him. Yep, he knew what was coming. 

Hopefully, it wouldn’t hurt too much. 

“Simple.” Cardin spoke. “You’ve been getting real confident having those little goth friends of yours to protect you. Now that I think about it, it was similar with Jaune, wasn’t it? You would always sit back and let yourself be invisible while he got all the attention. You’re a little leech, aren’t you?”

“I’m not—!”

Another thud. This time it was Cardin’s fist making contact with his face. Nope. Not lucky enough for it to not hurt. He tried not to flinch and continued staring Cardin down. He didn’t bother talking again, instead frantically trying to find a way out. That was when he saw a familiar head of blond hair. 

Jaune had stayed late. He was walking with his group, probably having been working on their own projects. Blue eyes made contact with hazel for all of a second. Jaune saw him — he definitely saw him. He looked like he was going to come over, but… He saw the rest of Jaune’s group pulling him back as he got another smug look from Cardin, who seemed to have noticed the group as well. 

“Trying to leech of Jauney boy again?” Why was his voice so  _ smug _ ? “It’s not going to work this time, though. He wouldn’t risk his neck to stand up for a kid who might as well be in all black. Instead of leeching why not just stay quiet and be a man for a change?”

There wasn’t really much choice in the matter. If he tried to raise his voice, it seemed none of the others staying late would even pay attention. Jaune obviously  _ wanted _ to jump in, but couldn’t due to the interference of his friends and fear of losing everything he’d worked so hard for. So, Oscar just took it. 

It was miserable. Not that he expected anything else when Cardin was involved. He might have blacked out, at some point? He definitely didn’t remember most of the rather one-sided beating. The next thing he remembered was a concerned girl’s voice calling his name, and opening his eyes to see Ruby there. There were still a few people wandering the halls, so he couldn’t have been out too long, maybe a few minutes. 

“Oh, Oscar, thank goodness you’re okay!” He winced as she hugged him a little too tight, “You look  _ terrible! _ Did Cardin do this? Ooooh, wait till me and Nora get our hands on him.”

“I’m fine, Ruby...” He was miserable, badly bruised, and suffering from damaged confidence, but hey. That was fine in his books. 

He got up, staggering a bit, after insisting he didn’t need Ruby’s help. He hadn’t paid much mind to Cardin’s words about being a “leech”, but he still wasn’t feeling too hot about himself right now. He didn’t want to have to rely on his friends too much. Without paying any mind to Ruby calling after him, he grabbed his things and left the school. 

When did it start raining?

Some time while he was sketching, probably. The moment he walked out into the street, he was soaked down to the bone. At first, he made to hurry back to the foster home he stayed at. He didn’t exactly  _ want _ to stay in the cold. As he did, though, he paused. Lately, he didn’t really like going back there. Feeling so invisible after being with Ruby and the others was just… awkward. 

He turned and went a random direction. He wandered aimlessly for an unknown period of time. About an hour, maybe? Either way, after a moment his eyes, which were trailing the ground, came to an interesting part of the sidewalk. There were small discolorations on the ground, painted over with deep red paint, and other decorations in black. Some form of tribute painted by goth artists, he assumed. 

He glanced upwards, seeing a particularly tall building in front of him. Well, putting two and two together definitely gave him some unpleasant thoughts. Deciding he wanted to get a better look at the painting that was on the ground, he entered the building and climbed the stairs. He ignored the stares from people seeing a kid soaked through by the rain suddenly walk in. It seemed like some kind of community building or something, all the floors seemed pretty different. When he got on the roof, he sat on the edge and glanced downward. 

Honestly, it was beautiful. 

The discoloration was painted over into the image of deep red spider lilies. Intricate black designs and the words  _ ‘Death is Never What It Seems’ _ were sprawled out on the concrete. He couldn’t imagine how many people, or how many years, it must have taken to paint something like that. As transfixed as he was by the street painting, he was soon snapped out of it though. 

“Admiring my handiwork?” A smooth, masculine voice caused him to jolt. “Or… should I be concerned about a child on the edge of a rooftop with those bruises?”

He turned at the sudden voice, seeing an  _ incredibly tall _ man standing not far from his right. He was in all black, one hand holding a pitch black umbrella. The other, holding a bouquet of red spider lilies that made Oscar wonder for a moment if the man was really goth, or just in mourning. Then he realized, that an outfit that intricate and extravagant  _ had _ to be goth. 

He was tall, but thin. Pale skin, paler hair, and pure black. A black coat with tails, matching pants, and loafers. There was an intricate dark green design on the cuffs of the jacket, ending off in a strange double-gear design. A silver pin of what seemed to be a bird’s wing was pinned on a deep green tie, and a set of small, black glasses that Oscar had to imagine were hard to see out of at this hour topped it off. 

Only after processing that did he process what the man had said. 

“Oh, no, I’m not—- I wasn’t thinking — It’s the former...” He waved his hands frantically, a bit flustered. After collecting his thoughts for a moment, taking in the low chuckle from the man, he continued his thoughts. “I noticed it on the ground and thought I’d get some perspective to see it better. It gave me a little food for thought.”

“Well, I find that when someone is troubled, a new perspective can help things.”

“Did you really do all that on your own?”

“Yes...” The man set the lillies down on the edge of the roof. “I come up here and lay flowers down to remember every year, and add a little more to my work. That said, I suppose I’ll be painting another day. Rain isn’t exactly conducive to my project.”

The silver-haired main gave a sly smile. Oscar couldn’t help giving one in exchange. 

“They must have been special.”

“She was,” he responded, “absolutely fixated on freedom. Somehow managing to be elegant and restrained at the same time as being completely unruly.”

“Were you in love with her?”

“Incredibly.”

As he said that, the man reached his hand down to help the battered and bruised Oscar up. It took a pause and moment of thinking before Oscar finally took it. The elder allowed him under the umbrella, motioning toward the door to exit the building. 

“Now then, I couldn’t possibly allow a child to stay out in the rain, that soaked, much longer. What’s your name young man?”

“Oscar.”

“Oscar….?”

“Oh, uh…. No surname. I don’t know my parents. No family.”

“I see...” He could see the concern on the man’s face at first. It was the general reaction of most adults when they find out. It seemed he was fairly perceptive, though, because he seemed to catch on that Oscar didn’t particularly care and continued. 

“Well, then, Oscar. My name is Ozpin Pine. Why don’t you come to my studio? We’ll get you a warm shower and some dry clothes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with one line, I give away all of my future plans for Oscar and Oz's relationship. Well, not that I care obviously. The next chapter is done, yay! And Oscar's had his second important encounter! This chapter's a bit of a downer at times, but I hope you guys enjoyed it! The next one might take a while, since it'll be a bit long. You're going to be getting three separate perspectives in the next chapter! Please be patient!


	8. Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Oscar's harassment at the hands of Cardin, Jaune and Oscar both find themselves at a tipping point. It's time for them to each make their own important decisions. Their lives are set along new rails now, that seem to show no sign of intersection.

The group looked on, concerned, as Jaune threw his fist at his dormitory wall. His anger at himself and everything that just happened took shape in a small mark left on the wall from his punch. None of the others spoke up, allowing him to vent. 

“I can’t believe it!” He raged. “Cardin’s such a jerk, going after Oscar when no one’s around! Why couldn’t we stop it!?”

“Jaune, calm down!” Weiss finally tried to interject, putting a hand on his shoulder. “If we’d interfered, you  _ know _ what would have happened. We’re the highest on the social rung at this school — ”

“And what good is it if I can’t protect my friend!?”

He batted off Weiss’ hand, turning toward the group. He was so enraged, tears were forming in his eyes. To have Cardin, who’d harassed him so greatly, now turning on his friend was almost more than he could take. It had always been his job to look after Oscar, who was usually too meek to stand up for himself. Of course, Oscar did the same for him. It was their promise to each other. 

And he just broke it. 

Yang seemed to understand what he was going through. She walked up to him and gave him a tight hug. The sudden action caught Jaune off guard, and he quieted. After the hug, Yang pushed him out to arms’ length, with her hands on his shoulders, to look him in the eyes. 

“Listen, Jaune,” she said, “I get that you’re upset. I understand wanting to protect someone and not being able to. My little sister is a goth girl, you see?”

“Your sister is  _ goth!? _ ”

“Not the  _ time _ , Weiss,” Sun argued back, motioning for Yang to continue. 

“You know what, Jaune? I hate seeing Cardin mess with my baby sister, but I don’t interfere. You know why?”

Jaune thought for a moment. Why wouldn’t someone like  _ Yang _ of all people, who’d deck someone for messing with complete strangers, not want to protect her little sister? She wasn’t the type that would be too concerned with keeping her social status. He couldn’t help but think that she wouldn’t care if others associated her with a goth. So why?

“It’s because,” she said after he’d paused for a while, “I’m trying to look out for her in a different way. I’m at the top of the world right now, you see? At least as far as students are concerned. Once we graduate, I have a chance to be  _ super _ successful, and I can use that to change things.”

“So…” he added, starting to understand, “In order to do that, you need to avoid damaging your social status at Beacon, right?”

Yang nodded. “So, I'll graduate, become super successful, and try to use my influence to help make goths openly accepted! I might have to keep a distance from her, now, but it's for her sake.”

“So… I should do the same for Oscar?”

“Well, that's your choice,” she responded, “but if you want to protect him,  _ and _ stay with us? It's your only option, really.”

“Hey, Yang?”

“Yeah, Jaune?”

“Your little sister… she wouldn't happen to be that red-hooded girl Cardin was talking about?”

“How'd you figure  _ that  _ out?”

“Well, when he mentioned her, you seemed pretty upset. You called her by name, too. Ruby?”

“Oh, yeah… guess I did.”

The group just stared at Yang for a moment. He imagined most of the others had figured it out pretty easily, as well. She didn't seem too concerned, though, and just shrugged the stares off. Well, that unabashedness was part of her charm.

Seeing that he'd calmed down, the group started separating. Neptune pulled Weiss away to size her for her dress; Yang and Sun went to Yang's room for a gaming session. So, it was just Jaune and Pyrrha, who still seemed concerned. 

“Jaune…” She walked up, grabbing one of his hands. “I want to show you something. Do you mind?”

“Of course not. What is it?”

She just smiled at him. That gentle smile that seemed to take away any worries one of her friends might have. Then, she led him by the hand, from the dorms, and toward the school's art rooms. 

They walked into one of the larger rooms. All of the art rooms were free for students to use, of course. The school also had sewing rooms, photography labs and such. They were usually used for important projects. This room, however, seemed to be cluttered with pieces being worked on for the Festival’s Student Showcase. 

As Pyrrha was leading him toward the center of the room, there was one easel that caught his attention. It was a familiar picture, but… it was different from the last time he'd seen it. He paused, looking over the painting of the small daisy and sunflower sitting on the canvas. Well, really it was basically still a sketch, it had hardly been painted over at all, yet. 

“Jaune?”

Pyrrha's voice snapped him out of his own world. Right, he hadn't exactly been brought there to see Oscar's unfinished work. 

“Sorry Pyrrha,” he said as he shook off his thoughts. “This is Oscar's piece, so… I just kind of gravitated toward it.”

“So this is his work,” she walked up toward the easel, eyes scanning the canvas. “It's beautiful… but feels a bit lonely.”

“Yeah… It’s different from the last time he showed it to me…”

Last time he saw it, the two central flowers seemed to have this sense of togetherness. Like, their roots were almost entwined with each other in the small flowerpot. In this version, though, the Sunflower seemed to reach out towards where the bright sun and outer garden would be if it were fully colored. The small daisy, meanwhile, seemed to almost wilt toward the shadows of the room, which seemed longer than they had been before. 

‘Lonely’ was honestly, probably the best word for it. For once, the meaning of the painting didn’t escape Jaune. In fact, when it came to Oscar’s art, he seemed to be able to understand it better than most others’ works. Maybe because he almost always sort of knew what was going on in the small boy’s head. 

“It must have been so hard on him when I started hanging out with you guys...” he responded. He’d known it would be, of course, but Oscar had always been so supportive. So, he’d jumped into the new waters full-force. 

“Maybe,” Pyrrha responded, placing a hand on his shoulder, “but I don’t think he’d regret encouraging you. From what you’ve told us about him, I think he’s genuinely happy for you.”

“Yeah...” Jaune smiled, taking one of the covers for the art pieces and gently draping it over Oscar’s work. “He doesn’t really like showing off his art, I wonder why he left it uncovered.”

Pyrrha seemed thoughtful for a moment. It seemed that, in the end, she wasn’t sure though. Instead, she walked towards a larger piece in the middle of the room. It wasn’t on canvas, from the shape. A sculpture?

“Is this what you wanted to show me?”

“Yes,” she responded with a meek smile. She pulled off the tarp that covered it, revealing a beautiful bronze sculpture. Humans and Faunus, with carved banners of each of the kingdoms, coming together and shaking hands. It was obviously meant to represent the end of the Great War — one of the most monumental moments in Remnant’s History. “It’s going to be the centerpiece for the Festival this year. I was originally planning on just having it in the showcase, but Professor Port insisted I allow him to have it displayed in the courtyard...”

“You made it?” He responded, awestruck, “It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she responded. Her eyes gazed up at the statue, seeming content now that Jaune had given his input. “You know, I wanted this piece to represent the end of the Great War for a reason. Do you notice anything special about it?”

Confused, Jaune took another look at the statue. Was there something else…? Wait. He glanced at the detail work of the sculpture. The symbols for the kingdoms, and several other smaller pieces of it weren’t carved, as he’d thought. Rather, they were sculpted in with  _ black _ marble. It was a small gesture, but unmistakable in what it meant. 

“Unity… The whole point behind the festival.”

“Exactly,” she said with a smile. “I like to think this piece represents my goals. The use of art to create a world that’s truly unified. Where species or movement doesn’t matter. Any person, and any artist, can inspire in their own ways.”

The two stood by the statue for a moment. Jaune felt Pyrrha’s hand grab his, and her warmth helped him renew his confidence. He smiled, turning his head to face her. The two shared a small, silent smile. They didn’t need words, Jaune knew his point was getting across. 

He’d do the same thing. Work on making music that could help bring the world together. Hopefully, Oscar would understand. 

_ ~*~*~* Meanwhile; A Studio Apartment in Vale*~*~*~ _

“Come on in, Oscar. Let’s see if we can’t dry you off.”

Pulling out a set of keys, the man named Ozpin unlocked the door to a studio apartment. It looked perfectly normal on the outside, but as he walked in, he could tell it was the home to a goth artist. The dark wood floor stretched from the entrance into the main room. Oscar felt bad for leaving small puddles on the floor as he walked forward. 

Photographs lined the entrance. Most of them were in black and white. Pictures of birds — crows seemed to be the most prominent, but there were also ravens, vultures, and others — seemed to be the focus. There were other landscapes, though, and even pictures of people. The ones that weren’t in black and white seemed to be group pictures. Family and friends, he assumed. He saw Ozpin in most of them. 

One photo in particular seemed to draw his attention. It had what seemed like a younger Ozpin surrounded by three others. A young man and woman who seemed to share a family resemblance. Black hair and red eyes, dressed mostly in black and red. The man seemed to focus on blacks and grays, while the woman had more dark reds with the occasional black. Ozpin was in the center of the picture, with a woman. Blond hair and blue eyes, but in a long, Black dress and black makeup. 

“Oz? Are you back, already? I guess the rain ruined your — ”

He didn’t have time to ask about the picture, though. 

The sudden voice drew the boy’s attention to the end of the entranceway, where a man came into the picture. Scruffy black hair, red eyes, dressed mostly in black and gray. It was the man from the earlier picture, just looking older and a bit scruffier. A friend, Oscar assumed. Especially since after making eye contact with Oscar for a moment, the man turned to face Ozpin. 

“Well. Would you at least message me or let me know before you bring a stray puppy home?”

“Well, I didn’t want to leave him alone in the rain. Can we keep him?”

The other man scoffed in a joking manner. Ozpin laughed along, as the unknown man left for a moment. He brought out a towel, wrapping Oscar in it. Its warmth was more than welcome, but he was still leaving puddles behind him as he walked. 

“Bathroom’s down the hall from the main room and to the left, kid.”

“There should be something your size in my designs somewhere,” Ozpin added, “I’ll see if I can find something.”

“You’re a designer?”

“Designer, artist, he does a lot of things,” the scruffy man responded. “Now, go get in the shower and get those wet clothes off.”

Oscar quickly scurried off. He heard Ozpin refer to the man as ‘Qrow’ as he left — well, that explained all the bird pictures. He managed to find the bathroom fairly quickly. He heard Ozpin call out where the closet that held the other towels was, set one on the towel rack by the shower, and hopped in. The warmth was more than welcome, and he sat in the warm water for a while just to soak it in. He heard the door open and close a couple of times, assuming Ozpin had brought in spare clothes. After that, he actually started cleaning himself off before turning off the shower and grabbing the towel from the rack. 

When he glanced down to see the spare clothes that had been spared for him, he wasn’t surprised. Naturally, they were mostly black. A dark orange, almost tunic-like shirt with a low v-neck that was laced up with black laces. A long, black jacket with silver buttons. The cuffs were similar to the ones on the jacket Ozpin had been wearing before, with green designs and the same double-gear (a mark of his brand, maybe?), but in a paler green. Black pants and boots with green laces matched the jacket. They were definitely goth clothes, which caused Oscar to pause for a moment. 

That being said, they were clothes that Mr. Pine was giving him out of kindness. Besides, he’d told Ruby and the others earlier that he ‘might as well give in’. He knew that if Nora found out, she’d start joking about successfully converting him, but for how he was just happy to have warm clothes. So, he slipped them on. It was a bit strange seeing himself in black in the mirror, but at the same time he didn’t dislike it. 

He walked out into the main room, seeing the two men settled on the couch. His things were spread on a table, and they seemed to be sorting them out into two piles. Upon seeing him come out from the hall, Ozpin smiled and motioned him over. 

“We were just going through your things to see what was dry. It seems like your bag protected most of it.”

“You an art student, pipsqueak?” the scruffy one asked, “You’ve got a lot of supplies here.”

“Uh, yeah,” Oscar responded, “I’m a scholarship student at Beacon.”

“Huh. Same as Rubes, then.”

“Rubes…?” He pondered for a moment. It hit him like a truck when he finally realized, though. ‘Rubes’, a scholarship student, and this man was goth. “You know Ruby?”

“Yeah. What’s it to you?”

“Oh, uh… I’m a friend,” he responded meekly. 

Ozpin just chuckled at the small back and forth. “This is Qrow Branwen, Oscar. He’s Ruby’s uncle, and an old friend of mine. We work together often, along with his sister Raven.”

“Oh, uh… It’s nice to meet you, sir. I’m Oscar…. No last name.”

“Orphan, huh?” he responded, “You really did bring a stray puppy home.”

Ozpin chuckled, and set the things of Oscar’s that were dry on a side table. Oscar could definitely tell the two of them were old friends, just by watching them. They would move around each other without having to say a thing, just kind of knowing what the other would do. 

“I’ll make some cocoa,” Ozpin said, “Help warm you up a bit more.”

“I’m gonna go get my kit,” Qrow added, “Those bruises are pretty nasty. I’ll teach you how to cover them up — you can look forward to the look on the face of whoever did that when there isn’t a bruise in sight.”

Apparently, now, he was going to wind up in makeup. This was a rather unexpected night, he could definitely say that much. As the two left him in the main room, he got a look around. There was no sign of his bag — more than likely, they’d put it in the laundry with the rest of his wet clothes. A few of his things were wet, sprawled out on the table in front of the couch. On the side table were the dry things Ozpin had separated out, including his sketchbook thank goodness. Another side table had a smile pile of papers. 

His attention was caught by one, in particular. A sketch that Oscar could only assume was one of Ozpin’s designs. The sketch was for a formal dress, and he could tell right away it was meant for Ruby. Though it was a simple sketch, the short black and red-ombre hair he’d gotten used to was present on the faceless sketch. It was a dress with long, translucent black sleeves. Said sleeves had silver thorn designs that went all along them. The bottom seemed to have a form of feathering effect, with many of the feathers that trailed the bottom being dark red — no doubt a reference to her being Qrow’s niece. Off to the side of the dress sketch seemed to be one for a mask, a black one with dark red rose designs. 

“Curious about my designs, are we?” 

Oscar jolted when he heard Ozpin’s voice, as the man smiled and set a pale green mug down in front of Oscar, saving a dark green one for himself. Apparently, he really liked the color green, but Oscar couldn’t complain. Being a nature lover himself, he was also fond of the color. 

“Sorry,” he responded honestly, “Is that design for the Vytal Ball?”

“Not quite,” Ozpin responded with a chuckle, sitting down on the sofa next to him. “Goths aren’t necessarily turned away from the ball, of course, but they’re not exactly welcome either. So, during our time at school, I and my own friends decided to start our own tradition — the Shadow Masquerade.”

“That…. Isn’t that name kind of cliche for a goth event?”

“I prefer ‘traditional’,” Ozpin quipped back playfully. “Either way, the Masquerade is a goth tradition at this point. While everyone else is enjoying themselves at the Vytal Ball, we have our own place at the Masquerade where we can socialize and have fun away from the scorn of others. I was designing outfits for Ruby and her friends, apparently they asked Qrow to convince me.”

Oscar gave a small chuckle. “Well… Ruby’s looks great.”

“I could make one for you, if you want. Ruby’s was the last I needed to finish, and I’m almost done sewing it.”

“Oh, I — uh….” he stammered, flustered. A goth event? Going with the others would basically be going full goth. He was just planning on skipping the ball, knowing others would probably try to prevent him from having a good time if he went. 

“For the record, I think those clothes suit you.”

Oscar meekly sipped at his cocoa. Attend a goth masquerade? He couldn’t deny he was interested. He didn’t have a chance to answer Ozpin, however, before Qrow came out with a makeup kit in hand. 

“Alright, squirt, let’s fix your face.”

“While he’s doing that...” Ozpin interjected, “Do you mind if I look at your sketchbook, Oscar?”

“Huh? Why?”

“Well,” he responded, “As far as I’m aware, there are only two scholarship students attending Beacon right now. You, and Miss Rose. I’m curious about your work… and, well… I believe I might have seen it before.”

“Really? Well… I don’t usually like to show others my work, but… You’ve really helped me out so I guess I don’t mind.”

From there was a strange scene. Qrow brought out a small mirror. He opened his kit, showing Oscar the different types of makeup that were in it and how to use it to conceal bruises and such. By the time Qrow was done with him, there was no sign of his injury. He added in black and green eye makeup as well, just to mess with Oscar who was a bit difficult about wearing makeup during the process. 

“Was this necessary?” Oscar insisted as he pointed to his eyes.

“Your own fault,” Qrow insisted, “If you hadn’t complained, it would have just been the liner. Besides, you look like a proper goth now.”

Oscar grumbled under his breath, hearing Ozpin chuckling slightly in the background. He hadn’t really been planning on going full goth, but apparently Ozpin and Qrow had other ideas. That became a bit more apparent as Ozpin paused on one particular page of his sketchbook. 

“Oscar? This sketch… It’s quite different from the others.”

Oscar’s face flushed. He knew the one Ozpin was talking about. The one he’d been working on the past week of uncertainty. Having not made much progress on his piece for the festival, some burst of inspiration had him sketching out a particular piece like a madman. Not to mention burning down all his black pencils in the process. 

“Oh, that’s… um...” he stammered out, “I’ve kind of been having some trouble with my piece for the Student Showcase, and that was kind of…. It’s something that just kind of popped into my head recently, I guess.”

“Why not use this instead, then? It’s quite beautiful.”

“Yeah, but it’s… Not exactly normal for me. It’s...”

“Dark? Goth? You might want to look in the mirror...”

“I look like this because of you two! Not that I’m not thankful for the clothes….”

Ozpin simply chuckled, gently closing the sketchbook. He motioned for Oscar to follow him. The boy tilted his head in confusion at first, not sure what it was the other was intending to do. He followed the man into another room, which was filled with various paintings and sketches. It was strange, because they all seemed to share a central process. Use of machinery and cityscapes, a bit of an urban feeling. Yet, some were brightly colored, others were pitch black with dark greens, or completely monotone. 

Were these works all Ozpin’s…?

“I didn’t start out as a gothic artist, either,” the other responded with a small smile. “I was always a bit of an oddball, at least that’s what Qrow tells me. I didn’t really fit into a group, until I met them. Qrow, his sister, and….”

“The woman that tribute was for?”

“Exactly,” he seemed happy to not have to explain it. “It was after I met them that I became invested in the gothic movement. If I may… I believe you have the same potential.”

Oscar was unsure exactly how to respond to that. He fidgeted momentarily, glancing at all of the artwork on display in this room. It was all amazing, he could tell. He just wanted to stand there and take it all in. 

“Also,” he responded, “I think that if you did display it, it would make a certain someone  _ very _ happy.”

“You… could tell?”

“To be honest, it’s blatantly obvious who inspired it.”

Oscar was now thoroughly embarrassed. Was he seriously that see-through? He followed Ozpin out of the room after a while, the duo staying silent. Ozpin went to make more cocoa, and Qrow went to get the rest of Oscar’s things from the laundry. When they were all together in the room again, Oscar mustered up the courage to ask. 

“Mr. Pine?”

“Ozpin is fine.”

“Ozpin… You said you thought you saw my work, before?”

“Oh, yes… About that,” he responded. 

“Oz! Qrow!”

A woman’s voice broke their moment. Before Ozpin could say anything, their attention was drawn away from the conversation. He heard Qrow shout “Rae!?” down the hall, and Ozpin seemed none too concerned about not getting to explain.

“Get out here! And Bring a towel!”

“What is this, bring home soaking kids day!?” Qrow exclaimed, obviously upset at the possibility of having to mop up more water.

The group went out to the front entrance. There was a woman that looked to resemble Qrow. The sister he’d heard about? It seemed the same person from the picture at the entrance. Which would mean the blond woman was the one Ozpin had painted that tribute for…? More importantly, however, was the small, soaking wet girl in black and red in front of him. 

“Ruby!?”

“Oscar!”

_ ~*~*~* Earlier; City of Vale *~*~*~ _

“Come on, pick up already!”

Ruby ran through the rain, waiting for Ren to pick up so she could patch through a conference call with the group. Once he finally did, she connected them quickly. They didn’t have time for pleasantries right now. 

“He wasn’t at the foster home!” she responded “I had the owner call for him and everything! What about you guys?”

“No sign of him having come to the apartment,” Ren reported. 

“He didn’t u-turn back to school either!” Nora exclaimed.

“He’s not at any of our usual coffee shops, either.”

“Ugh, where are you, Oscar!” She whined, keeping her eyes peeled as she looked. “I’m gonna keep looking. Keep me posted!”

“But Ruby,” Ren reprimanded, “You forgot your umbrella. You should let Blake search the city and come home.”

“I’ll come home if I don’t find him in like, ten more minutes!” she responded, “Also, we’re totally getting him a scroll after this!”

The others all seemed to be in agreement on that last decision. Ruby hung up right away, continuing to scan through the streets of Vale. She was the fastest member of the group. Not to mention the smallest. So she could easily weave in and out of the crowds. Unfortunately, though, it wouldn’t help. 

Five minutes passed. Eight, nine, ten. No sign of their missing friend. Remembering the look on Oscar’s face as he left, she couldn’t help but want to push for as long as she could. At least, without facing Ren’s wrath if she came home and caught a cold. As she ran through the streets looking, though, she bumped into someone else on the road. 

“Sorry!”

“Ruby? What are you doing out here without an umbrella?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Ruby glanced up into a pair of red eyes she knew all too well. When she saw the woman in front of her, she practically pounced. At least, she would of if the woman wasn’t holding her back by the forehead. 

“You are  _ not _ getting me wet, squirt. Where's your umbrella?”

“Uh… a friend of mine was getting harassed and ran off… Mom! You haven't seen a boy a little shorter than me? Tan skin, dark hair, freckles?”

“Can't say I have, ” Raven responded, still holding Ruby at arm's length, “What does this have to do with you not having an umbrella, Rubes?”

“I was kind of in such a rush, I might have forgotten it…”

“You've been searching how long?”

“Half an hour….”“

“Studio. Now.”  
  
“But  _ mom _ !”

Ruby felt herself being hoisted up by her hood. Still being held outward (seriously, mom, what was your problem with a little water?), she had little agency in being forced through the streets of beacon. She groaned and pulled out her scroll, messaging the others to let them know she’d run into Raven, and that she was currently being pulled toward where she and uncle Qrow stayed with their roommate. 

She didn’t pay much attention to what her step-mother was saying. It was mostly muttering about how ‘Tai wouldn’t leave me alone if he found out I let you get sick’, or something like that. She’d continue kicking and screaming the entire way just about. She wanted to find Oscar, who was probably in a much worse state than she was!

However, she found herself dragged up to the studio apartment that belonged to her mom and uncle. She grumbled under her breath for a while, until she heard uncle Qrow crying ‘What is this, bring home soaking kids day!?’ from the living room. 

…. What?

She stared, a bit dumbfounded at what her uncle said. He came in and put a towel around her, but said towel didn’t last long. After all, not far behind uncle Qrow, and their roommate Mr. Pine was a familiar freckled face. 

“Oscar!”

Overcome with excitement seeing her friend, she hadn’t processed anything other than the fact he was there right now. She went straight to pouncing on top of him, hearing him yelp in surprise. She wouldn’t make it to her hug, though, as uncle Qrow grabbed her by the hood. 

He and mom always did like to ruin her fun. 

“Hold it there, squirt. The pipsqueak just got dry, himself. Don’t go getting him wet again. Also, your makeup’s a mess. I taught you better.”

Ruby whined, wriggling in her uncles grasp. “Fine! I’m gonna go take a shower!”

“I’ll bring her a towel and dry clothes,” Raven responded.

She was in such a rush, she didn’t even stop to enjoy the warm water. She hopped in the shower, washed up, cleaned her makeup, and darted out the moment Raven brought her change of clothes. She didn’t put on any more makeup, opting just to change into the spare clothes she always kept there in case of sleepovers, and darted outside. 

Mr. Pine, uncle Qrow, Raven, and Oscar were all seated around the living room. There were cups of drinks on the table — Alcohol for Qrow, tea for Raven, and three cups of cocoa. One of them were presumably for her. She darted into the main room at the sight of them, determined to continue where she left off earlier. 

“Oscar!”

The yelp happened again, and Ruby crashed into the couch. Mr. Pine and Qrow, who were sitting on either side of him, wisely vacated the couch when they heard Ruby’s voice. So, the two children wound up crashed on the couch, with Ruby squeezing around Oscar’s shoulders.    


“I’m so glad to see you! We were worried sick!”

“I’m sorry for worrying you,” the boy responded, “but could you not break my  _ everything!?i _ ”

“Sorry! Sorry!”

She got up from where she’d nearly crushed her friend on the couch, giving a shaky laugh. It was only then she noticed what he was  _ wearing _ . All black — probably Mr. Pine’s design. Makeup probably done by uncle Qrow. He was full goth mode. 

“Wow, uh… Goth looks good on you, Oscar.”

“Thank you, but did you really only notice  _ now? _ I’ve been like this since before you got here.”

“Yup. Just noticed.”

“I still vote you let me give him an ear piercing,” Raven quipped, probably in relation to some conversation they’d had while she was in the shower. 

“I’m not getting my ear pierced!” Oscar yelped. 

“Oh, come on, pipsqueak,” Raven continued, “The first piercing is like, a right of passage for goth guys. You should get one.”

“No!”

“Actually,” Qrow responded, “Even you had a piercing back in school, didn’t you, Oz?”

“I did,” Oz consented, “but that doesn’t mean Oscar needs one.”

“If he’s your mini me, he needs a piercing.” Some other joke she missed in the shower. 

“I’m not getting my ear pierced!”

“Ugh, fine, be boring.” Raven got up from her seat, heading into one of the apartment’s broom closets. She brought out a black and red umbrella, holding it out to the two children. “Here squirts, take this and go home. Your friends are worried, right?”

“Thanks mom!” Ruby responded, hugging her. She got a pat on the head instead of a returned hug. Well, she expected that.

“Only one?” Oscar asked. 

“We would have had two,” Raven said, “if  _ someone _ hadn’t broken the other spare.”

“I fell! It was an accident!”

“Qrow Branwen,” Ozpin quipped, “also known as the unluckiest man in all of Remnant.”

“Didn’t ask for your input, Oz...” Qrow grumbled. 

Ruby and Oscar both chuckled. Oscar took the umbrella, and they grabbed his things. They headed towards the door, but before they left Oscar turned back toward the main room. 

“Oh and Mr. Pine?”

“Ozpin is fine. Yes?”

“About the Masquerade…. Can I take you up on your offer after all?”

Ruby glanced between the two, confused. The Masquerade? What about the Masquerade? What conversation had she missed?

“I’d be happy to. Have you decided what to do about the festival? You don’t have much longer.”

“Yeah… I think I’ll listen to your suggestion after all.”

Ruby followed Oscar out the door as he opened the umbrella for them. They walked in silence for a while, but once they were far enough out the door, she decided to ask the question that had been bugging her since they left. 

“Hey, Oscar?” she asked, leaning in a bit to stay out of the rain.

“Yeah Ruby?” He turned to look at her, but for some reason the moment he made eye contact he just turned away. Weird. “What is it?”

“What was that about the Masquerade, with Mr. Pine? And the Festival?”

Oscar was quiet for a moment. Then, he smiled, and as they passed under an awning where the rain wouldn’t reach them, he stepped ahead a few paces before turning to face her. 

“You’ll be the first to find out then, Ruby. As of tonight, I’m going full goth.”

“Really!? I mean I know you’re all dressed and made up right now, but I thought that was just Oz and Qrow taking the opportunity to goth up a kid they helped! You’re really going full goth!?”

“Yup,” he responded, smiling, “Mr. Pine asked if I wanted him to design a suit for the Masquerade. He also gave me some suggestions for the festival that I’ll be using. My piece is a surprise, though, so I’m not saying more than that.”

“No fun,” she sulked, “Ooh! But if you’re going full goth, we need to go shopping! You’ll need more clothes, and makeup! You can live with us full time!”

“Probably a good idea,” Oscar responded, “The caretaker of my foster home is pretty anti-goth. I’m not sure how she’d respond if I suddenly came home… in this.”

“Ooh, trust me, I noticed,” Ruby responded. They got under the umbrella as they started walking again, “I checked in at your home before running in to mom. She wasn’t happy to learn you had a goth friend.”

“Then, I’ll probably check in with her and let her know I’m moving in with you guys….”

“I’ll go with you! We can go shopping afterward and surprise the guys! Oh, I’ll let them know I found you, though. We’re getting you a scroll, too!”

“How do you plan to pay for all that?”

“It’s on Uncle Qrow!” She remarked with a smirk. “I’m sure he won’t mind when he learns what I used it for…. hopefully.”

“Hopefully!?”

She couldn’t help wrapping her arm around his. The two children laughed together, spirits not broken by the rain or looks around them. This was a great night for the two of them, after all, a major shifting point. 

If they were lucky, things would go uphill from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm spoiling you guys a bit. Please... don't start to expect chapters this long or updates this fast all the time...! Naturally, I'm doing as best I can to update quickly and make the chapters fun, but this was one I was really excited to write! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I loved writing it, but please understand that it's an exception in its length and how quickly it was posted.... 
> 
> That said, consider it a thank you for all your support! With this, Oscar and Jaune are set on their paths! All that's left is to see where it takes them. Look forward to the future.~


	9. The Big Debut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having made his decision, Oscar regroups with his friends. He and Jaune have a much-needed conversation, and while it leaves him disheartened, there's no time to stay down. After all, the Vytal Festival Showcase is around the corner.

Somehow, in one night, everything changed. Oscar had thought, since he was already considered part of the goth crowd, actually  _ going _ goth wouldn't be that big a deal. 

News flash: it was. 

It hadn’t felt that different at first. He spent the night out with Ruby after insisting she actually  _ call _ her uncle before spending his money. They bought a scroll, some accessories, and (though he complained a bit at first) makeup for him to use. Mr. Pine said he'd give Oscar some of his designs, so they wound up spending less than planned. It was a lot of the same antics as when they were usually together.

The big changes started after their shopping trip. When they arrived at his old home to get his things, he was basically barred entry at first. It was almost impossible for either of them to get a word in edgewise with the caretaker at first. It took Ruby getting frustrated with her insistence he change and take the makeup off before entering for them to get their point across. 

She finally let them in after Ruby started yelling and making a scene. When Oscar said they were just there for a few of his things, and wouldn't be back afterward, she finally allowed him to go upstairs. He grabbed a few sentimental items — some photos with Jaune, a few framed paintings he'd been attached to after being given them (which he now realized were pre-goth Ozpin works, more than likely), and other items like that. He left most of his old clothes and such, taking what was important and leaving quickly. 

It was obvious he wasn't wanted, after all. 

“I can't believe that!” Ruby was shouting the entire way home. “You've been there almost a year now, and she just shuts you out!”

“That's Remnant and goths,” he responded. Well, Ruby probably understood that already, anyway. “Come on, let's get inside. The rain is making it cold.”

The moment they walked inside, he was practically tackled by the other three, who'd apparently been waiting. 

“We were so worried! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” 

“Nora, you're suffocating him…” Ren stepped in, prying Bora out of the overly-tight hug hold she had on him. “You did worry us, though. Please don't do something like that again.”

“Ren was pacing around like a worried mother, ” Blake joked. “You're both lucky you ran into Mr. Pine and Raven. You would have caught colds otherwise.”

“Okay, okay, enough lecturing!” Ruby insisted, “Notice anything  _ different _ !?” She made wild arm motions toward Oscar as she did so. 

“I knew we'd convert you!” Nora praised. 

“Welcome to the fold,” Blake responded, “Officially, anyway.”

“I'll make a big dinner to celebrate,” Ren agreed, heading straight for the kitchen. 

“Mother, ” Nora whispered, getting chuckles out of the group.

“Oh, by the way, Blake?” Oscar asked, “I'd like your help with something in regard to my Showcase project.”

“Oh, so you'll show her, but not me!?”

“ _ Surprise _ , Ruby,” he quipped, “You do know the meaning of the word?”

“Don't sass me like that,” she responded, “You sound like Mr. Pine.”

“Why is  _ everyone _ comparing me to him tonight!?”

Honestly, it was nice having a home that actually felt like one. The night passed with a small, but lively celebration among the group. A large dinner to celebrate Oscar’s becoming a proper goth, and a few jokes were thrown around. Ozpin came over to deliver some clothes his size, and they  _ all  _ insisted he try every single one on. Ren showed him how to remove his makeup, and amidst much grumbling gave him tips to apply it, alongside Ruby. He gave up eventually. 

The next morning, however, Oscar went from excited to absolutely  _ dreading _ school. He found himself hardly able to sleep just thinking about  _ Jaune's _ reaction, let alone people like Cardin. As he was watching the usual scene unfold at breakfast (Ruby rushing to get ready and pushing Nora away from her pancakes as she did so), he couldn’t help but think about it. 

“You worried?” Ruby was happily munching pancakes beside him. 

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” he admitted. 

“It’ll be fine,” Blake reassured him with a smile, “We learned from our mistake last time, we aren’t letting you out of our sight.”

“And you have a scroll, now!” Nora exclaimed, “So if something does happen, just dial one of us and we’ll come running! Ren and I can teach you a little bit about the best ways to go about decking a guy, too! Comes in  _ real _ handy.”

“I think she means we’ll teach you how to defend yourself,” Ren corrected. 

While the goofing around didn’t really erase his worries. At least, it helped him walk through the gates of Beacon that morning with a little more hope than he’d had earlier. Honestly, he couldn’t help but think the others were more excited for his ‘big goth debut’, as Nora called it, than he was. They were absolutely buzzing from the time they started getting ready. Including Ren helping him ( _ again _ ) when he completely stumbled over trying to actually put makeup on. Meanwhile, he was fine just getting swept up in their excitement and laughing along. 

At least, not much changed as far as how he was treated at school. Having already been labeled ‘goth’ before completely changing helped in some way. The most he had to deal with was the sideways glances he’d get when people realized there was an extra kid in black among the group. 

“Oscar!? What the — What are you  _ wearing? _ ”

Well, there was one, more vocal, response that he wasn’t exactly eager to deal with. Oscar hadn’t exactly been expecting to see Jaune leaning by the gate, presumably waiting for him. He assumed that because, for the first time in a  _ long  _ time, it was just Jaune. No Pyrrha, Weiss, or others alongside him like they normally were.

The moment he made eye contact with Jaune, he looked away. Not necessarily out of shame, but more concern. The awe and almost fear in his old friend’s eyes was a bit much to take. After taking a moment to gather himself, he gave the other a meek smile. 

“Uh… Hey, Jaune.”

His friends got the message and decided to give Oscar some space. He felt Ruby give his arm a small squeeze and somehow felt that even though the group was leaving him alone with Jaune, they probably wouldn’t be far. He gave Ruby a smile as she turned to give the two friends their distance, and felt a warmth when she smiled back. 

“So… Uh… You were waiting for me?” He asked, finally turning back to Jaune. 

“Uh, yeah,” he responded, “Wasn’t really expecting you to be…. Uh…. so…. ”

“Goth?”

“Yup, that’s the one.” Jaune gave a shaky laugh, going silent for a while. “Honestly… It looks better on you than I like to admit.”

“Honestly, same,” he responded with a small chuckle. He hadn’t expected to be wrapped up in all of it so quickly. Meeting Mr. Pine, Ruby’s family. “I’m still getting used to it, really… So, there was something you wanted me for?”

“Oh, right!” Jaune said, “The… new look kind of made me forget for a while. Uh… I’m going to say something that might not make you very happy...”

“Like?”

Silences between the two had gone from being comfortable to incredibly awkward. He missed the times that he and Jaune could just sit and be quiet for a while without being so tense. Yet, as his old friend looked over him, he couldn’t help but lament that those days were gone. 

“So… We’ve really gotten to become complete opposites lately, haven’t we?”

“Yeah...” He didn’t like where this was going. 

Jaune didn’t seem to know where he was going with it, granted. After that, he seemed to stumble over thoughts for a minute or two. Saying things like ‘it’s kind of funny, really’, ‘I’m not really sure how to put this,’ or ‘it’s been weird not hanging out as often as we used to,’. He stumbled for a while before, finally, Oscar had to put an end to it. 

“Jaune, you’re getting nowhere,” he responded, “Mind helping me figure out what you’re trying to say?”

“I think we should stop talking.”

After a deep breath, Jaune said that one sentence so quickly it almost ran together. The realization of what he was saying dawned on Oscar just as quickly. And so, that one simple sentence sent him reeling. 

“Wait… What!?” Oscar responded. “I thought… I thought you were supporting me! Supportive of this! Are you saying we should break ties completely?”

“I am!” Jaune responded “Supportive, I mean. It looks great on you, and you’ve reached out with your new friends way more than you ever did when we used to hang out, but… I think that’s exactly why…”

“You’re basically saying that, since we’re on opposite ends of the spectrum now, we shouldn’t talk anymore?”

“Exactly!” Jaune responded, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. It’s like you always said, Oscar, I’ve always had big dreams. Wanting to live up to all the great artists that came from the Arc name, you know? And…. I can finally do that...”

“And you don’t want being friends with a goth kid to mess it up.”

His words came out with more edge than he’d thought. Jaune was looking at him, almost awestruck by how blunt he’d been. He didn’t intend to take back what he’d said, that was  _ exactly _ what Jaune was saying. Still… he could have maybe put it a little nicer at least. 

Still, he was glancing Jaune in the eye, waiting for his friend’s response. Apparently, Jaune was struck completely dumb. He just stared for a while, before straightening himself up. 

“Look, Oscar,” he said, “It’s not that I hate goths, you know that. I still want to support you, but… Goths aren’t going to get anywhere if you don’t have friends in high places, right? That’s what I want to be. In order to do that, though…. We’re going to have to go our separate ways for a while.”

“It’s not that easy, Jaune,” Oscar responded. His mind flashed back to the tribute that Mr. Pine had painted out on the concrete, wondering what had led that woman he loved to do such a thing. “Even if you were able to make some big breakthrough after graduation, a real change probably wouldn’t happen for years, or longer. It might not even be in our lifetime….”

That’s how things always went in the history classes professor Oobleck taught. Even the prosperity that faunus kind had now took years, and another scapegoat to take their place. If he and Jaune cut ties now…. 

“This won’t just be until a little while after we graduate. It’d be well into our adulthood, we might not even be able to talk again… You understand?”

“Despite that,” Jaune responded, “I don’t want families and friendships to be torn apart because of artistic choices. We can’t talk, but I know that between our two groups, we can really make a difference.”

“You’re really set on this…. huh?”

“Yeah… I’ve decided, Oscar,” he said, “I’m going to climb the social ladder, like I have been. Then I’ll graduate with Pyrrha, Yang, and everyone else, and help support gothic artists.”

“Even if you’re unable to make any difference?”

“Well… We need to try, right?”

There was a silence between the two of them. Neither wanted to separate, because they knew that when they did, that would be it. In the end, Oscar would be the one to break the silence. His voice cracked a bit as he spoke, but he tried his best to stay determined. 

“So… this is it? We can’t be friends anymore?”

“We’ll always be friends,” Jaune denied his statement, “We just… can’t see each other anymore.”

“Same difference, really.”

As he said that, Oscar turned so as not to face Jaune. He understood what it was his friend wanted to do, but… completely shutting each other off wasn’t exactly easy. He took a deep breath, not glancing back to his friend as he walked to leave. 

“I gotta go. Going to Doctor Oobleck’s class to hand in my piece for the festival.”

“You finished it?”

“Pulled an all nighter with Blake. Later… Or not, I guess.”

He walked away from Jaune after that. As he’d suspected, his group wasn’t far off. They all eyed him with concern, but he gave them a smile and shrugged it off. He didn’t want them to be too concerned about his own issues, especially since the Festival would be starting soon. 

“I’m going to take this to Professor Oobleck.”

“I’ll come with you,” Blake insisted, “Goth rule number one: always stay in groups.”

“Right.”

The duo trekked through the halls, keeping quiet at first. Oscar clung to his canvas, as if trying to keep himself sure of the path he was on. It was an odd contrast to the complete festival mode the school seemed to be in. He assumed that students from other schools were arriving. Outside the bubble that formed around the two, somberly quiet goth students was a chatter of excitement and optimism. 

“Hey, I’m looking forward to seeing this framed for the Festival,” Blake responded, “It’s going to be great, let’s focus on that.”

“Yeah,” Oscar said with a smile, “Your description, too. The poem is great. Though… I wonder if Ruby might be too dense to pick up on what it means.”

“I made sure to make the poem less subtle than usual,” Blake said with a small chuckle, “As her best friend, it’s kind of my job to make sure she picks up on these things.”

“She’d be lost without you.”

“Probably.”

The two shared a laugh, walking into Doctor Oobleck’s classroom. The professor was at his desk, sipping from the same coffee mug he always used, seemingly grading papers or art projects at mach speed. 

“Good morning, Doctor,” Oscar greeted, hoping to get his attention.

“Ah, Oscar! Miss Belladonna! This is an interesting combination.”

“I’m just along for the ride,” Blake replied, “Oscar wanted to see you, so I came along.”

“Well, young man, I can see you’ve had a lot of thinking to do since we last talked.”

“Oh, uh… Yeah,” Oscar agreed. Made aware of his change again, he shifted a bit uncomfortably. Well, at least it was a more graceful reaction than Jaune’s had been. “Um, I wanted to give you this, Doctor. You’re the one who frames the works for the Showcase, right?”

“Ah, you finished it!” The professor took the canvas from him happily, taking the cover off to get a look at the artwork underneath. Oscar simply waited, staring at the back of the canvas as he waited for the professor’s reaction. 

“I know it’s really different from my original plan… There were a  _ lot _ of changes...”

“Well, that’s just the artistic process, my boy,” Oobleck Reassured him, “You’ve obviously embraced the gothic style, and I think that has caused your art to really open up! Honestly, if the draft you showed me before was excellent, this piece is quite amazing.”

“Um, well, thank you!”

“Not at all!” Oobleck put a comforting hand on Oscar’s shoulder, smiling from behind his spectacles. “Honestly, the changes you’ve made make me think of a younger Ozpin Pine.”

“You… knew Mr. Pine?”

“Not necessarily in his youth,” Oobleck consented, “but I’m familiar with his early work, and I became acquainted with him not long after his shift to gothic culture. We’re actually good friends, though we don’t see each other very often. For obvious reasons. It was actually thanks to him that you — ”

“That I what?”

“Oh, nothing!” Oobleck dismissed his statement quickly, “As it seems you’ve met him, I believe it’s more a story for you to hear from Mr. Pine than from me.”

Oscar glanced toward Blake, as if questioning if she knew what he was talking about. His friends seemed to have close ties to Mr. Pine, after all. All he got in response was a shrug and quizzically cocked cat ears, though. 

“Ah, and I take it the attached poem was written by Miss Belladonna?”

“Yes, sir,” Blake confirmed, “We were hoping you could use it as the description plaque?”

“Yes, should be doable,” he responded, “Your writing and Oscar’s style for art go well together. The sense of metaphor and poetry combine well. I’ll see to it that it’s done!”

“Thank you, sir!” Oscar bounced a bit eagerly at the approval.

“Not at all. Now then, you two should move along back to your friends,” he sat down at his table, sipping his coffee as usual. “The visiting students are here, and Headmistress Goodwitch will be holding an important assembly, best not to miss it.”

The duo shared a knowing smile. After all, the assembly was more than likely about Beacon allowing gothic participation in the showcase this semester. They quickly left the room, with goodbyes to the professor, before meeting up with the others and preparing for the oncoming assembly.


	10. Of Vytal Importance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the beginning of the Vytal Festival, Headmistress Goodwitch holds an important assembly to welcome the new students. The announcement of gothic participation from Vale brings up mixed reactions. With the incoming new students, however, both Oscar's friends and Jaune's meet new students from other schools. Oscar and friends meet a pair of goths from Haven, and Jaune's meets a fascinating duo from Atlas. How will these meetings affect the groups?

The chatter among students in the assembly hall was louder than usual. The hall itself was more crowded than usual, as well. As Doctor Oobleck had stated, there were plenty of students visiting from other schools. As they entered the hall, the group had been asked to take armbands to identify their school. They noticed that each school’s students had armbands of a different color, with their school’s crest on it. Orange for Beacon, Purple for Shade, Blue for Atlas, and Green for Haven. The students all mingled with each other, trading greetings and stories from their schools. As usual, there was a small corner of the hall that was populated by students dressed in black (which, Oscar noted, only seemed to have Orange, Purple, and Green armbands).

“Huh, you’d think that at least Shade students wouldn’t mind mingling more,” Ruby piped up as they gathered among the other goth students.

“Shade is very forward thinking,” Blake agreed, ignoring Ruby’s “I mean they called it _Shade”_ quip, “but Beacon tends to be the most tolerant of gothic artists, and… well... ”

“We know how that turns out,” Nora snarked.

The group all snickered amongst themselves. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the time to mingle with other students. As they were getting settled in among the crowd, the sound of clicking heels and the tapping of a microphone centered the students’ attention on the stage. Standing at the mic was Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch. Several Beacon professors lined up behind her, all staying quiet for the time being.

“Before we start,” Glynda greeted the students, “Let’s all welcome the visiting students from Atlas, Haven, and Shade. It must have been a long trip out to Vale, and I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that I hope you can be comfortable for the time you’re here.”

The professors applauded, and the students of Beacon joined in (as it was probably expected). The chatter continued for a moment afterward. It took another tap of the microphone to quiet them, before the Headmistress started again.

“Now, as of today, the Vytal Festival will be beginning in earnest,” there was a group of cheers that had to be quickly silenced. “Yes, yes, we’re all very excited. Now then, starting from today, the visiting students will be joining us for two weeks of joint classes. During those two weeks, rather than the usual split of morning and afternoon classes, you will only be participating in your major. That is to say, you will have half days in which only your art lectures will take place.”

This gathered a wave of cheers from the students. Ruby and Nora were joining in (rather loudly), while Blake, Ren, and Oscar had to cover their ears. Well, Goths and Normals alike all seemed to appreciate only having to take classes for half a day.

“After those two weeks, the Vytal Art Showcase will begin in earnest. It’s the Showcase that I’d like to talk to all of you about today.”

And so, they got to the good part.

“Now, we’re all aware how the two days of the Vytal Art Showcase work. I’m sure we’re all excited about the two days of professional exhibits, and Student Showcase. However, there’s been… a change, this year.”

Hushed mutters fell over the crowd. Ruby, Oscar, and Nora looked at each other expectantly. They knew what was coming, and couldn’t wait to see the looks on everyone’s faces at the big reveal. Ren and Blake, meanwhile, seemed to be bracing for the worst. It almost seem like they were ready to run out of the hall, dragging the other three with them if need be.

“As you all know, the kingdom of Vale, and Beacon Academy by extension, prides ourselves on inclusion and acceptance. We welcome all styles of art, from all over Remnant.” Headmistress Goodwitch glanced around the hall, as if trying to ensure that everyone would stay silent. “As such, the kingdom of Vale had made a bold move this year. As of this year’s Vytal Festival, we’ve decided to make good on our policy of inclusion. That is to say, that professional artists from the kingdom of Vale, as well of students of Beacon Academy who are a part of the gothic movement have been allowed open participation in the Art Showcase.”

And then, there was uproar. Several of the other students, especially Atlas Students, seemed in an absolute panic. No one had considered the inclusion of gothic art in the Festival, and there were _plenty_ of people who weren’t happy about it. Notably, Oscar saw an absolutely gobsmacked Cardin Winchester in the crowd, and couldn’t help smiling a bit smugly toward him (though the bully couldn’t see it).

“Calm _down_ , everyone,” the headmistress urged, quieting the crowd. “Now, this comes with a few stipulations. First, only gothic artists whose studio is located within the kingdom of Vale, whose exhibits are primarily held in Vale, or are students of Beacon Academy, will be allowed participation. We’ve already chosen the gothic students allowed entry, but professionals are allowed to set up exhibits as they like on the first day. Second, all gothic art displayed at the Student Showcase is exempt from the judging process, and will not be able to win any awards during the closing ceremonies. These were the rules set by the Vytal Festival’s Committee to allow their participation.”

The crowd seemed to calm a bit at that. There were still plenty of unhappy students, but at the very least they weren’t ready to take the goth kids’ heads off. Oscar would definitely rather not die the day he decided to go goth.

“Now, I understand this all comes as a surprise,” was the understatement of the century that the headmistress used to calm everyone, “but I ask we all try to be understanding. The spirit of the Vytal Festival is, after all, unity and artistic expression. Let’s open _all_ visiting students with open arms, and make this year’s Vytal Festival the best it’s been.”

There were a few more pleasantries and explanations to calm the situation. In the end, after the assembly ended and everyone left, there were disquieted mutters among each group of students as they went toward their classes.

“We’re exempt from judging!?” Nora practically shrieked as their group left the hall. “I can’t believe this! We got so jipped!”

“It’s a small miracle we’re even allowed to participate, Nora,” Oscar responded, “Can’t we just take what we got and run with it?”

“Exactly. You might not gain anything from it,” Ren attempted to soothe the savage Nora, holding onto the back of her black and pink jacket to keep her from going on a rampage, “but at least, being able to participate is a victory.”

“Nah, I’m with Pinky,” came an unfamiliar male voice, “given the chance to participate, but not take part in the closing ceremonies? Talk about a cheap shot.”

The group turned, seeing two others coming from the direction of the voice. Luckily, it was a boy and a girl, so at least they knew who’d spoken. The boy was pale skinned with slicked back, silver hair. The girl was tanned, with a pale green, almost shoulder length bob-like cut. Both wore dark makeup and black clothing (though the boy’s was highlighted with silver and the girl’s with green). Goths, and by the green armbands, probably from Haven.

“Ooh, visitors from Haven!” Ruby chirped excitedly, “It’s nice to meet you!”

“If you’re from Haven,” Blake added, “that means you’re the same year as us. It’s nice to meet you.”

“How d’you figure that, Blake?” Ruby asked quizzically, causing her four friends to look at her incredulously.

“Ruby,” Oscar couldn’t help but input, “I haven’t even been a goth for _twenty-four hours_ yet, and I know the answer to that question.”

“Um… I’m being hypothetical?”

They _all_ knew better than that.

“This is the first year Haven has allowed students who are part of the gothic movement,” Oscar sarcastically explained. “So goths from Haven? First years.”

“Well, in _my defense!_ ” she quipped, “You’re from Mistral, so of course you knew that. Just sayin.”

“We’re _really sorry_ about her,” Oscar joked to the two visitors, getting a ‘hey!’ from Ruby in exchange. “She’s not always this airheaded, promise.”

“Oscar! Stop it with the Mr. Pine-brand snark!”

“I don’t think I will.”

Oscar chuckled at the pouting Ruby, who tried to pounce at him in an attempt at horseplay before Blake grabbed her by the hood. The two newcomers, meanwhile, watched the exchange with an amused gaze. Eventually, though, the girl stepped forward and smiled at them.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you.” She said, before turning to Oscar. “If you’re from Mistral, why not attend Haven? Especially if you weren’t goth before recently.”

“Too young,” he responded with a shrug, “I’m only attending Beacon because someone tipped off the teachers to a piece I had on display. Apparently, they saw some kind of potential and paid my way into school.”

“Then you went and changed your style completely,” the new boy put rather sarcastically, “beautiful irony.”

“Well, not that the Professors really seem to mind,” Oscar said with a shrug. “The Beacon professors are actually pretty okay with us goth kids. I’m Oscar, by the way.”

“Ruby Rose!”

“Blake Belladonna.”

“Lie Ren.”

“Nora Valkyrie!”

The group went down their line, introducing themselves. The new duo gave casual waves, taking in each of the group’s introductions. Oscar’s meek nod, Ruby’s spastic wave, Blake’s slight smile from behind her book, Ren’s bow, and Nora’s arm pumping. They were definitely a mixed bag, and the other two seemed to be taking it all in.

“I’m Emerald,” the girl greeted, “the boy there is Mercury.”

“Mercury Black,” he re-introduced himself. “I take it you’re the ones from Beacon that will be presenting in the Showcase?”

_~*~*~* Meanwhile, Courtyard *~*~*~_

“Can you believe this!?” Weiss complained as they left the hal, headed straight towards Beacon’s central courtyard. “Allowing gothic participation in an event like the Vytal Festival. Aren’t we supposed to be celebrating the color, expression, and art that was almost taken away during the war!?”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Jaune input, “I know black was a negative symbol during the war, but it’s been eighty years, hasn’t it?”

“You’re just saying that because that friend of yours went goth overnight.”

“I am not!”

“Alright, let’s cool it!” Yang interjected. “Look, the whole point of the festival is to celebrate artistic expression, and gothic art is part of that, isn’t it? It was a matter of time, really.”

“Yeah!” Sun responded, “Besides, we’re supposed to be the big men on campus. Let’s not be jerks about it, Weiss. What’s your beef with goth anyway?”

The group sat on a small cluster of benches. They were all caught off guard by the announcement, and obviously some were less happy than others. Weiss seemed positively fuming, and Jaune couldn’t help but wonder, himself. She’d always been a bit smug when it came to goths, but she usually gave them space.

“Unauthorized art in SDC-owned spaces,” Weiss continued to list, “Disruptions during charity concerts, defacing of Schnee Family property, defamation of individuals involved in the company, do I need to continue?”

“Well, maybe,” came an unfamiliar voice, “They wouldn’t do that if the big, bad SDC would stop hassling the Atlas Council to disallow gothic students at Atlas Academy? Or maybe stop perpetuating gothic stereotypes?”

The group turned to see two rather unique individuals walking up to them. Notably they both wore blue armbands with the Atlas Academy crest. A boy in a rather suave suit with brightly colored accents, and a cat faunus girl in a rather… colorful getup.

“Who are you to question the way the SDC does things?” Weiss quipped. “You’re from Atlas, aren’t you? Aren’t most Atlesians anti-goth anyway?”

“The name’s Flynt Coal,” the boy said, giving a small tip of his fedora, “And my family’s always been a bit against the Atlesian norm. We appreciate art, rather than trying to turn it into a business.”

“Are you saying I don’t appreciate art!?”

“You’re a Schnee, aren’t you?”

Jaune couldn’t help but notice Weiss’ recoil at that. He didn’t know much about the SDC, but he could tell that whatever the boy named Flynt had just said was not something that Weiss would take lightly. Deciding to interject before the argument got too heated, he got between the two, keeping them at arm’s length.

“Um, alright, then,” he said, “It’s obvious there’s some bad blood here.”

“I don’t even know him!” Weiss shouted, “And he definitely doesn’t know me!”

“Aw, let’s not get all up in arms!” The faunus girl joined in the conflict. “Flynt and I just came because we heard you guys were the top students here! We wanted to meet you!”

“And throw down the gauntlet,” Flynt added, “We’re both performing arts students, Schnee. Let’s see how we stack up. If you’re really an artist, you should be able to win Best Performance, right?”

“Sorry,” Weiss declined, “But I’m…. _We’re_ aiming for best _group_ performance. Jaune, Sun and I are doing this performance together.”

She glanced back toward Sun, and then up at Jaune. Jaune was glad she was finally starting to invest herself in the group performance. It was something that had taken time, but she always came around eventually.

“I can respect that,” he responded cooly. “Then, we’ll just see who gets the best response.”

“Flynt’s totally gonna win,” the girl responded, “Especially in _my_ design! There’s no way he isn’t going to make the crowd go wild!”

“Well, just wait until you see Weiss in _my_ design,” Neptune added in, “I won’t lose to you, either.”

“Yeah!” Yang added, “Neptune and I are the best support the gang could have. It’s a match! Let’s see who can make the crowd react more.”

“Oooh, so you two are designers!? Are you wearing your own designs?”

“Uh, don’t designers always?” Neptune remarked. “It’s like, free advertising.”

The faunus girl hopped up and down. She circled the two, as if taking in their clothes with a keen eye. Though, she was humming and making exaggerated facial expressions most of the time, so it was honestly hard to say how critical she was being. In the end though, she stopped and grinned at the two.

“You two are _awesome!_ I’m Neon Katt!” She pointed to herself with a grin, “And you guys are cool, but my design is going to totally knock your socks off, just you wait! Flynt and I won’t lose.”

“We’ll see about that,” Neptune responded with a playful smile, “Weiss is definitely going to steal the show in my dress, no questions asked.”

“Well, I look forward to seeing your performance, Schnee,” Flynt said with a tip of his fedora, “I _also_ look forward to blowing it out of the water. Art isn’t a business — and the SDC can’t get greedy just because they already monopolize Remnant’s energy industry.”

“You’ll see,” Weiss responded smugly, “I’m a _true_ artist, and I won’t let someone like you tell me otherwise.”

“We’ll see about that at the festival,” he responded, “Let’s go, Neon.”

“Later!” Neon grinned, waving energetically to Neptune and Yang. “I’m totally going to steal the best individual design award from you guys, just saying!”

“Well, that was something,” Jaune responded with a shrug. The duo had come and gone like a whirlwind. They lit a fire under Weiss and the designer duo, and just swept the rest of them up in the storm.

“Well, we know Weiss and Yang can be very competitive,” Pyrrha agreed, “I don’t think they’ll take that challenge lightly.”

“Yeah” Jaune agreed, “And Neptune has a lot of pride when it comes to his designs. I just hope the fire they lit doesn’t burn us.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Pyrrha reassured him, before turning to the group. “With your performance completed, just be sure to practice hard over the next couple weeks. Don’t let what others say get to you.”

“Of course,” Weiss responded. “We’ll show that Flynt Coal that I’m not some fake artist.”

The redhead placed a hand on Weiss’ shoulder, with her usual gentle smile. “Let’s just focus on getting through the Festival. While we’re on that topic, we still have half a day of classes, so we should each get to them unless we want to be late.”

“Ooh, you’re totally right!” Jaune responded frantically, “Come on, guys, we have our own lectures to get to! See you at lunch!”

The group scattered, each heading to their own lectures for the day. The entire school was still in a buzz over the start of the festival, and it didn’t seem like the buzz was going to die down any time soon. Jaune was part of the buzz, of course. He was excited for his group’s performance, even with the looming competition with Flynt and Neon. He was looking forward to the art exhibits as well, especially seeing Oscar’s completed work.

He just couldn’t help but be positive about the next few weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It begins! The festival is going to be in full swing, soon! New characters are introduced, but heads up: they aren't permanent additions to the cast. They'll be here for the next five or so chapters; the duration of the festival! I hope you enjoy their addition, though, and the dynamics they'll have with each group. 
> 
> That said, there will be a small break between updates now! I'm starting work on a new project centering around Ruby, and that's going to take some time to prepare. I'll be doing an update for this project for every two chapters of TETOC. So look out for the new project and I hope everyone continues to enjoy this story!


	11. Haven Hospitality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a half-day of lectures, Oscar's friends decide to show Emerald and Mercury their favorite hangout. Curious about life at Haven and Mistral, they learn a lot more about their new friends then they were expecting.

“So, what’s the goth scene in Mistral like?”

With their lectures still a concern, the group had split up. Emerald had to go to design lectures, while Ren had headed out to Culinary. So, the group currently consisted of Oscar, Ruby, Blake, Nora, and Mercury — the fine arts students. Though, even they'd be splitting up for separate lectures, soon. Ruby was excitedly questioning Mercury about Mistral and Haven as they walked down the halls of the fine arts building. 

“Well, we tend to stick out like a sore thumb at Haven,” Mercury responded, “Not very many of us. As far as Mistral…. Well, it’s a lot different.”

“How so?” Nora continued the inquiry.

“Well, the goths here seem a bit more close-knit.” He seemed to settle on. “You have your own groups, but overall see yourselves as parts of a whole. In Mistral and Atlas, it’s dog eat dog. You take care of yourself and your own or get snuffed out.

“But the goth community there is so small. Wouldn’t it be easier if you stuck together?” Ruby asked.

“It’s because we’re so small,” he said with a shrug. “Unlike Vale and Vacuo, we can’t really follow the ‘strength in numbers’ philosophy.”

“Why not?” Nora continued the question. 

“Mantle and Anima are  _ huge _ ,” Mercury responded, “A few occasional goths spread across them can’t really come together as well as the large groups of Vacuo and Vale. Are we done with twenty questions yet?”

“These two are really naturally curious….” Blake responded with a sigh, pulling Ruby away by the hood of her cloak. 

“You’d think that would be you.”

“Try something I haven’t heard before, Mercury.”

“Wellp, let’s get these boring lectures over with,” Mercury groaned out, stretching. “I’ve gotta go to the hall for film students, so I’ll catch you later.”

“We’ll totally show you and Emerald all our usual haunts after class!” Ruby said excitedly. Before she could say anything else, though, Oscar motioned her towards her own lecture hall. 

“If you don’t mind, of course,” he tacked on. 

“Sounds cool,” Mercury responded, “Later, half-pints. Blake, Nora.”

“Don’t call us half-pints!” Ruby screamed after Mercury. 

“Grow a few more inches, and I’ll consider it.”

Mercury made a small saluting motion with his index and middle fingers before darting off. Meanwhile, Ruby was flailing in his general direction as if trying to chase him, but Oscar and Blake both reached to grab her by the hood before she could. 

“We’re going to be late, Ruby,” Oscar chastised. 

“Leave Mercury alone and let’s get moving.”

So, the group moved to their lectures. Oscar and Nora had a few classes together with Ruby, and one or two with Mercury. Blake was the only one that didn’t share any lecture time with the other members of the “fine arts group”. Once lectures were over, though, the whole group was back together again. 

“Yay for half days!” Ruby exclaimed on their way out of the school. “So, where should we go first?”

“Why not the usual coffee shop?” Blake asked. 

“That sounds great, actually,” Emerald responded, “Though, Merc can be a bit rowdy so we can’t usually go to quiet spaces.”

“We understand,” was Ren’s half-joking response, “After all, we have Ruby and Nora to worry about.”

“ _ Hey! _ ” The two girls shouted at him. 

“Oh!” Oscar responded, “I’m going to go to the library for a moment. If we’re going there, I want to borrow that book Blake was reading last week.”

“Nerd,” Mercury quipped. Though he gave a playful smirk to show it was all in good fun (at least, Oscar thought it was?).

“Goth Rule Number One!” Nora shouted. “I’ll go with you!”

“Actually,” Mercury piped up, “Why not let me play bodyguard?”

Oscar tilted his head a bit curiously at Mercury. He thought to ask why the rugged-looking boy would be willing to go against his ‘dog eat dog’ attitude and be part of the group. Before he could, though, Mercury just shrugged at his curious look and dragged him off by the collar of his jacket. 

“Don’t drag me!” He insisted, as Mercury just snickered and continued doing so. 

The duo went into the library, with Mercury finally releasing Oscar’s jacket. He playfully nudged Oscar towards the fiction section to find the book he’d wanted, while casually strolling over to a small area that held racks of comics and stated browsing, himself. 

Oscar just rolled his eyes and began browsing through the shelves of fiction. He remembered the title of the book, so finding where it was on the shelf wasn’t hard. As he picked it up and started heading toward the checkout counter, though, he ran into someone he hadn’t expected. 

“Well, well, well. Looks like a certain half-pint decided to finally start blending in with his goth friends. You’ve been standing out like a sore thumb all day.”

“Cardin,” Oscar greeted coolly, “I never expected to find you in the library of all places. I’d wonder if you were actually trying to learn; if I didn’t know any better, anyway.”

“For the record, you aren't as clever as you think you are.” 

“More than you, at least.”

Oscar cocked his head, giving the other a confident smirk. Honestly, he never would have had the audacity to say something like that before. That said, at this point, Cardin couldn't do much worse than what had happened last night. 

The fact that Mercury was creeping up behind Cardin as he grew steadily angrier helped, too. 

“Listen here, you little — ”

“Little what, now?”

The sudden appearance of another goth behind him caught Cardin off guard. He didn’t seem to stay fazed by Mercury long, though (a mistake), as he just scoffed the moment he noticed someone was coming to Oscar’s rescue. 

“Relying on others  _ again? _ Seriously?”

Oscar didn’t let Cardin’s jeering get to him, though. He just gave a small shrug as the bully turned his attention to the newcomer from Haven. Mercury had the same confident smirk on his face as always. 

“Well, then,” Mercury quipped, “Since I’m visiting from Haven, I guess I should pay my respects to the other students at Beacon. Kindly step off the shrimp, or you’ll have a bad time.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“Big mistake.”

Honestly, what followed was satisfying and frightening in equal measure. 

Mercury was, to sum it up in one word, brutal. He hardly gave Cardin time to react before giving him a rather swift beating. Luckily, everyone was so excited about the half day that there weren’t many students in the library. Had Cardin just followed him with the intent to mess with him? Well, that was the more likely answer than any alternatives. 

If that was the answer, though, Cardin probably regretted it. Seeing Mercury kicking him around like a hacky sack was something to behold. At some point, though, Oscar had to draw a line. He pulled Mercury away from Cardin, as his fellow goth seemed to be enjoying himself a bit too much. 

“Hey, don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

“Not nearly,” Mercury responded, “I’ve seen types like his before. If you don’t put the fear of death in ‘em, they’ll just keep taking advantage of people.”

“Come on, Mercury,” he insisted, “I’ve got my book, we should get out of here. Besides, we’ll get the last laugh at the Festival, right?”

“Right…. ” Mercury paused for a moment. He seemed to think about what Oscar was saying before nodding. “Alright, let’s go, half-pint. The others are waiting.”

Oscar wasn’t sure what it was Mercury had considered from his words, but he didn’t really want to think about it right now. Instead, he followed the other out of the library and back to the group. They were waiting by the gates, still chatting with Emerald. 

“Hey,” he waved sheepishly as they walked up, “Sorry it took so long, Cardin decided to be a jerk.”

“He won’t anymore,” Mercury said with a shrug. 

That sentence caused Emerald to look at Mercury with a look that read “what did you do?”. Oscar couldn’t really tell, but he had a feeling this kind of thing had happened before. When he didn’t give her answers, though, she turned to Oscar. 

“He didn’t beat him too badly, did he?”

“Not really?” Oscar responded, “Probably would have if I hadn’t interfered, though.”

“I’m  _ so _ sorry,” she said with a groan. “While I’ll admit, I’m prone to be pretty aggressive with non-goths myself — it’s a Mistral thing. Merc tends to have this mindset of force first, ask questions later. Though, sometimes I do wonder if bullies like him deserve it.”

“That doesn’t mean we should stoop to their level,” Blake responded. “Especially since all of us are presenting in the festival — any trouble and they could easily take that privilege away.”

“It shouldn’t need to be a ‘privilege’ in the first place.”

“Mercury!”

“It’s alright, Emerald,” Ruby reassured her, “we get it. Though… We  _ might _ want to make sure he doesn’t cause too much trouble before the festival.”

“We’ll keep an eye on him,” Ren assured, “but for now, let’s go out into town.”

“You know what we should do?” Mercury decided to consider, “get the pipsqueak his first — ”

“I’m not getting my ear pierced,” he insisted quickly, already knowing where this was going from last night. Mercury kind of reminded him of Raven in some ways, so he just had a feeling that was what he was suggesting. 

The group wound up settling in at their favorite coffee shop, as planned. It was a small shop, tucked away in an unassuming corner of Vale. There were murals and street paintings done by goths and normals alike — this was a middle of the road area. One of the few areas in Vale where goths and normals coexisted without paying each other any mind. 

They walked in, mingling with the small crowd of patrons of the shop. They each ordered their own drinks — coffee for Emerald and Mercury, tea for Ren, Nora, and Blake, and cocoa for Oscar and Ruby. They settled into their small corner of armchairs and sofas, waiting on their drinks and snacks to come out. 

“You know, this place isn’t too bad,” Mercury responded, kicking back with one of the comics he’d gotten from the library. 

“Yeah!” Nora responded, “It’s  _ super _ relaxing. You know, Ren wants to open a place like this after we graduate!? Imagine how much we could get out of people for his cooking!”

“Moderately priced, Nora,” Ren dismissed. 

“Oh, hey, Oscar!” Ruby piped up, “So which book did you wind up borrowing? Blake can read a lot in a week, you know.”

“It’s a dark fantasy,” Oscar replied with a chuckle. “About a wilting rose and the small wood spirit that braves a bed of dark thorns to save her.”

“Oooh, I love that one!” Ruby swooned, “The ending’s really sad, so be prepared! Still, it’s really romantic. Having someone who’d be willing to give up everything just for a few moments with you.”

“Try not to get too excited and spoil it like you did last time please,” he quipped, causing Ruby to squeak and clam up.

“I won’t!” she responded, “It’s one of my favorites so I really want you to experience it for yourself!”

“I think I’ve read that one too,” Emerald agreed, “It’s definitely not something you want spoiled for you, so we’ll have to keep Ruby in line while you read it.”

The group’s drinks were delivered, and they spent time chatting about Ren’s dream cafe and the upcoming Professional Showcase (namely whether or not Ozpin and Qrow would be participating). Blake and Oscar kept their noses buried in books throughout most of the conversation, something the group was used to. Oscar could swear he saw Ruby trying to read over Blake’s shoulder at one point, complaining that the faunus girl was ‘reading too fast’. Blake slowed her pace just for Ruby after that. 

Emerald and Mercury told stories about Haven Academy. Its overly anxious headmaster, the few other goth students that attend, and what classes there were like. Oscar caught them whispering to Ruby a couple of times, wondering what they were talking to her about. He wouldn’t find out until they left the shop, though. 

“Hey, Oscar!” Ruby walked up to him, keeping pace with her arm around his like she usually did. “So, how was your first day being full goth?”

“Well, a lot changed, and a lot didn’t,” he responded. “I’m used to people being aggressive with me since I started hanging out with you guys, but it kind of went up tenfold.”

“That kind of happens.”

“Then there’s Jaune. Apparently, he’s decided he wants to focus on climbing up the social ladder with his new friends.”

“So, you guys aren’t talking anymore?”

“Nope.”

“So that was what you were so upset about before the assembly! I knew something was up.”

“You caught me. But I have you guys, and Mr. Pine and your family…”

“Even with mom insisting you get a piercing?”

“Yeah.” Oscar laughed out. 

“But you know,” Ruby said with a smile, “If you did actually decide to get a piercing… I think it’d actually look good on you.”

“Eh? Really?” His face flushed a bit, hardly able to take the smile of the silver-eyed girl without looking away for fear of a heart attack. “Well, I mean...”

And then it dawned on him. His eyes had managed to catch onto Emerald and Mercury, who were watching the scene unfold with smiles on their faces. Oh. So that was what had happened at the cafe. 

“Did those two put you up to this?”

“Yup,” Ruby agreed quickly. “I stand by what I said though.”

“Well, thanks,” he said with a meek smile, “I’ll consider it, but right now I’m fine with how I am.”

“That’s a-okay with me,” Ruby said with a small chuckle. 

With that, Oscar walked over two the two visiting students. They both seemed to realize he’d put two and two together, and avoided eye contact. He managed to hold his stare for a moment before simply sighing. 

“Why did you tell Ruby to convince me to get a piercing?”

“Well,” Emerald started, “We thought that if your girlfriend said it would look good — ”

“Ruby and I aren’t dating!” He said, feeling the blood rushing to his face already. 

“Seriously?” Mercury asked, “You two completely give off this couple vibe, though. You do like her though, right?”

“I… Haven’t really thought about it,” he said meekly. He found himself unable to make eye contact with the other two as his eyes moved over to Ruby, who was happily talking to Blake. 

“Well, maybe you should a little more,” Emerald said coyly, giving him a wink. “I think you two would look good together, and… The Masquerade is coming up… You should ask her to dance with you.”

The duo then said their goodbyes to the group. Apparently, they were staying in a section of Beacon for visiting students with some other goth visitors. As the rest of them headed towards home, Ruby went back to linking her arms with Oscar’s. 

As their eyes met, Oscar couldn't help picturing a scene of the two of them gliding across a dance floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels like it took so long to get this chapter out! Yet it's only been a week! I guess I'm updating too frequently if I'm getting this feeling. Not that you guys are complaining about how frequently I'm updating, I'm sure. Well, this chapter is a bit of an interesting one. Originally, I was planning on having it split between Oscar and Jaune's groups. Instead though, I decided to have a full chapter for each group! Here's Oscar's, next week will be a chapter focused on Jaune and his group! Enjoy.~


	12. Power Couples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected call allows Jaune to learn more about Weiss. While the group unexpectedly splits into pairs for the day, they all take some time to talk, relax, and get their energy up for the upcoming Vytal Showcase.

“Everything needs to be _ perfect! _ ”

The group had been practicing hours on end, every day. Even as the two weeks before the Showcase started to pass, Jaune found himself unaware of it. Yang and Weiss were so determined to make Flynt and Neon admit defeat, they'd been working relentlessly. 

Weiss, in particular, had been absolutely frantic to prove she was a true artist. She'd always been the type to fret over small details, but she seemed to be using some form of molecular fine-toothed comb, now. 

“Weiss, perhaps it's time for a break?” Pyrrha recommended, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. 

“The Student Showcase is the day after tomorrow, Pyrrha!” She replied, irritably. “If anything, we should be buckling down even more!”

“It’s exactly  _ because _ it’s so soon that we should rest,” Pyrrha disagreed, gently. “You don’t want to lose your voice before the performance, and we don’t want Sun getting injured. Let’s have faith in all of your talents.”

That seemed to calm Weiss down. The agitation in her tensed shoulders and sour expression seemed to slowly fade away. Ultimately, she agreed and they all started getting ready to pack up their practice and take a well-deserved break. 

“I’m sorry,” Weiss said to the group, “What Coal said just got under my skin.”

“Hey, it’s fine,” Jaune said, “We’ll show those two what we’re capable of, right?”

He actually managed to get a genuine, slightly meek smile from the girl dubbed ‘Ice Queen’ as he tried to reassure her. Yet, he had to resist the urge to say anything, as he definitely took note of the smile on Neptune’s face behind him. They all seemed in a better mood as Weiss thawed, excited to talk about the upcoming Professional Showcase. 

Then, the call on Weiss’ scroll came. 

It wasn’t a big deal at first. Weiss moved to her bag to pick up her scroll as everyone else grouped up, allowing her space for her call. As she grabbed her scroll, however, Jaune noticed her freeze. She had an uncertain expression on her face, and the others in the group seemed to tense up when they noticed it as well. She gave an apologetic hand motion to the group as she left the room entirely, picking up her scroll. 

“Well, be ready for more Ice Queen when Weiss gets back,” Sun said with a shrug. “We probably shouldn’t pack up, after all.”

“What do you mean?” he couldn’t resist asking, curiosity in his voice. “It’s just a phone call, right?”

“Weiss only reacts that way to calls from one person,” Neptune explained, “her father.”

When he heard that, Jaune thought back to something Flynt Coal had said when they first met. “If you’re anything like your father.” The way Weiss had reacted to that made it fairly obvious it wasn’t a comparison she wanted to be made. Then the fact that she froze up when he called?

“They’re on bad terms?”

“We don’t know much,” Neptune admitted. “Just that he puts a lot of pressure on her. He wants her to take over the SDC, and was furious when she decided to come to Beacon rather than some academic all-girls school in Atlas.”

“Doesn’t Weiss want to take over the company, though?” Jaune asked, “She talks about wanting to set some of its policies straight a lot.”

“Yeah,” Neptune agreed, “But Weiss wants to be a businesswoman  _ and _ an artist. That’s all she’s told us, though.”

Before they could say anything more, Weiss came back through the door. She was obviously unhappy, quietly stuffing her scroll into her bag. When she turned to the group, composed look on her face, it was just as Sun has said. 

“Well? What are you looking at?” She said cooly, “Let’s do one more practice run for the night.”

Sun and Yang groaned, rather loudly, at having to stay in the practice studio even longer (and Yang wasn’t even part of the actual performance). As Weiss headed towards the stage, though, Neptune stepped in to cover for everyone. 

“Hey, Weiss?” he asked, “I was actually thinking. Since we were originally planning on wrapping it up here, I was planning on asking if you wanted to get some tea or something.”

“I don’t know, Neptune,” she asked, “I’d  _ love _ to, but I really want this to be a perfect performance.”

“And it will be,” he insisted, “I mean between the two of us that’s a no brainer. It just seems like you want to talk something out.”

“Well...” she seemed apprehensive, but Neptune flashed one of his winning smiles and she seemed to change her mind. “Alright then, that sounds wonderful. We’re done for today.”

Yang and Sun were shouting calls of ‘thank goodness!’ and ‘praise Neptune!’ as the duo left, Weiss apparently in a much better mood. Pyrrha and Jaune couldn’t help chuckling at the duo’s excitement. 

“Neptune and Weiss sure seem close,” Jaune asked, “Like, he knows just what to say to her.”

“Eh, it’s just because she has a huge crush on him,” Sun responded, “Though, they have known each other since the beginning of the year.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! You remember the First Year Projects at the beginning of the year?”

“Do I?” Jaune remarked with a chuckle. “That was how I met Oscar!” At the mention of his friend’s name, Jaune quieted for a moment. Noticing the looks from the rest of the group, he just smiled and waved them off. “We were partners for the Project. Hit it off right away, even if he did say ‘you’re really terrible at this’ when I tried to draw anything.”

“Well, that’s how Weiss and Neptune met,” Sun responded. “They wound up designing a whole stage, costume, theme and such for some fake concert. It went over really well, and since then they’ve had  _ huge _ crushes on each other, and just keep beating around the bush.”

“Weiss and Neptune, huh?” Jaune responded, “If those two got together, it’d probably be — ”

“The most talented power couple at Beacon since me and Sun!” Yang teased, winking at the monkey faunus in question. “Right, monkey man?”

“You got it, babe!” Sun responded, making finger guns at Yang with a wink. The girl in question chuckled as he made a fist pumping motion. “Though, no one can be a better power couple than us.”

Jaune and Pyrrha, meanwhile, innocently looked between the two in surprise. After taking a moment to process it, Pyrrha seemed to get timid while Jaune couldn’t help calling out in surprise. 

“Wait, when did you two happen!?” he exclaimed, “You could have told us!”

Looking at the two more innocent members of the group, Yang and Sun burst out in laughter. It caused Jaune and Pyrrha to tilt their heads, curiously. They wouldn’t really get their explanation for a while, however. It seemed Yang and Sun were twoo content laughing at their reactions. 

“We didn’t!” Yang finally laughed out, “We were just thinking of messing with Jaune a bit!”

“We didn’t expect to get Pyrrha, too!” Sun continued, also still laughing. “Thought you would have known better!”

Unable to come up with anything to say, the duo just looked at each other sheepishly as their friends continued laughing. Eventually, Pyrrha pointed to the door, and Jaune gave a small nod, following the redhead out into town. 

“I’m surprised you’re taking it so well,” Pyrrha remarked as they walked through the bustling city, “about Weiss and Neptune, I mean.”

“Eh, it’s fine,” Jaune dismissed with a wave of his hand, “Honestly I noticed it a long time ago. I mean… I still flirt with her to lighten the mood sometimes, but… y’know?”

Pyrrha gave a small chuckle. “Well, I’m glad you’re not too broken up about it. It must have been hard when you finally realized, though.”

“Oh it was,” he said, “but like I said, earlier. Weiss and Neptune just kind of… Make sense, I guess? Cool guy, beautiful girl, appearances are everything. Smart, talented. I’m just surprised that Neptune hasn’t said anything to her, yet.”

“We all imagine it’s because he’s the type that gets timid when it comes to a girl he actually likes,” she responded with a chuckle. 

“That’s kind of funny to think about,” Jaune responded. He tried to picture a timid Neptune in his mind, and he just couldn’t help laughing at the image. “Well, at the very least, I guess I’ll just focus on my music for now.”

“Well, look at it this way,” Pyrrha tried to reassure him, “Everyone tells me I’m going to grow up to be the person who’s married to my art, rather than a man.”

“A pretty girl like you?” Jaune asked, “I mean, yeah, you’re dedicated, but I’m sure you’ll find Mr. Right eventually. You just gotta find someone who isn’t too intimidated.”

“An unfortunately tall order,” she remarked. “Let’s stop talking about romance for now, though. Why not visit a few shops? The whole place is buzzing thanks to the Festival.”

“Good idea!” he said, “let’s go, Pyrrha.”

They spend the better part of the evening just perusing shops. In the end, they mostly wound up buying supplies and talking about their individual crafts, but Jaune didn’t mind. Pyrrha made sculpture sound so interesting, and she even said she’d let him sit in on her sculpting some day. 

As the pair worked their way back to Beacon, they ran into another pair from their group. Weiss and Neptune seemed to be on their way back from tea. Weiss had some shopping bags with her, and the duo seemed to be talking happily with each other. Weiss was definitely in a much better mood. 

“Weiss, Neptune!” Jaune called out, after giving Pyrrha a glance as if questioning whether or not they should. As the others turned to them, the two walked up to greet them. “Heading back yourselves?”

“Yes, I hadn’t realized we were out so long,” Weiss consented. “I’m sorry about earlier. I just got some less than savory news...”

“Is everything okay?” Pyrrha inquired.

“Oh, everything’s fine,” Weiss dismissed, “Father’s just in a poor mood after learning of the approval for gothic participation at the festival. He was pressuring me to come home with an award from the Showcase if I want to remain at Beacon.”

“Wow, you mentioned he was kind of a jerk but that’s a bit much,” Jaune responded with a wince. “Is he pressuring you to attend Atlas, or that prissy all-girls school?”

“The latter,” Weiss admitted, her eyes seemed a bit overcast, but as Neptune put a hand on her shoulder, she shook her head. “but it’s fine. After all, we’re going to be leaving the festival with two awards at least.”

“Two?” Pyrrha cocked her head to the side, “I know you were aiming for Best Group Performance, but...”

“Excellence in the Art Field,” Neptune input, “If we’re going to aim for an award, might as well shoot for the top, right?”

“You two always seem to think on the same page,” Jaune said with a laugh. “Well, we’ll all do our best to make sure we go out with a bang!”

The group walked back to Beacon together in a much better mood than they had been earlier in the day. Jaune and Pyrrha told the story of Sun and Yang’s joke, getting a sarcastic “those two are totally an item, they just don’t know it yet” from Neptune in response.

As the gang regrouped upon their return, their jokes went back to their love lives. Yang and Sun were teasing Neptune and Weiss about their ‘date’, only to get their jokes fired back at them by the other pair (mostly Neptune). Jaune and Pyrrha were never brought into the joke war, thank goodness, but they couldn’t help laughing along with both teams. 

“Come on, guys,” Jaune responded, “Let’s head back to our own dorms and get some sleep. The professional showcase is tomorrow.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Weiss responded, “I can’t wait to see all the professional-level art! It will really give us something to strive for.”

“Let’s browse the exhibits together first thing,” Neptune agreed, “It’ll be fun.”

They all seemed in agreement at that. Honestly, Jaune couldn’t be more excited to see what was going to be showcased and who would be there. Even some of their professors were going to be showcasing! The group chatted happily about who to expect, before finally going to sleep as they’d been planning for roughly an hour by the time they left. 

With everyone in high spirits, the Vytal Festival Showcase was going to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! So, this was going to be a little more of a Weiss-centric chapter at first, but in the end I decided to focus more on Jaune and Pyrrha. They are kind of the secondary ship for the fic after all. As I was originally planning for the last chapter and this one to be shortened and split between one chapter, only the moment with the call was originally meant to be focused on! In the end, though, I wound up adding in some antics between friends. I hope you don't mind!
> 
> The Festival is taking longer to work up to than I thought it would. There will be one more chapter after this before things get back on the track I had planned for, but honestly I don't mind that it's getting drawn out a bit more! It's been a lot of fun to work on so far, I don't want it to end too quickly. 
> 
> Enjoy!


	13. Professional Showcase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the Professional Showcase arrives. Jaune and his friends are eager to see all of the exhibits, and find themselves at Doctor Oobleck's after a day of browsing. Another group appears at the exhibit as well -- Oscar and his friends. The two groups certainly don't get on well, and neither leaves a good impression on the other.

The many studios, halls, and even courtyards of Beacon Academy had been being transformed into a giant art exhibit over the past several days. Now, as the day of the Vytal Art Showcase had arrived, the exhibit was filled with colorful paintings and sculptures. There was a section of three studios in the Fine Arts section of the school that had been set up for gothic artists, as well. 

Of course, Weiss had no intention of going near there, so the rest of the group simply followed her around the other professional exhibits. Seeing her so excited was almost alien for Jaune. Though, it was a nice change of place. 

“Let’s check out Doctor Oobleck’s exhibit,” Jaune suggested. He’d heard from Oscar some time ago that he was excited for that exhibition in particular. He was curious what the other had been so excited about. 

“It’s rare for you to make a suggestion, Jaune,” Yang pointed out, “Do you like Oobleck’s art or something?”

“Well, I’ve seen a lot of it,” he admitted shakily. “He’s Oscar’s favorite professor, so I hear a lot about conversations they’ve had or pieces of his from Oscar. Or well, I used to, anyway.”

“Oobleck it is!” Sun cheered, keeping the mood light despite Jaune’s previous comment. Thank goodness for his disposition, Jaune couldn’t help but think. “I think his exhibit is pretty close to us, too!”

“Right,” Weiss agreed, “Artists from Vale should be just down the hall a ways from the Atlesian artists. I’m eager to see Headmistress Goodwitch’s exhibit myself.”

“We'll see hers after Oobleck's then, ” Neptune agreed, “Save the best for last, and everything.”

The group made their way through a few Atlesian exhibits at Weiss’ request, then it was on to Vale. They each wanted to look at art by different Beacon professors. Weiss was fond of Headmistress Glynda, Yang and Sun liked Professor Port’s films. One of their first stops, however, was Oobleck. 

As they arrived, they noticed the professor didn't seem to be present. In his place was a holographic message to exhibit-goers. 

“So sorry, everyone! I'll be away for a while! I have some last-minute matters to attend to in regards to the Student Showcase tomorrow. Please! By all means, enjoy my exhibit in the meantime. I shouldn't be long.”

So, they decided to do just that. It was a colorful exhibit, filled with so many styles you'd think the pieces were all done by different people. Which… was probably the point, really.

“It's a bit… strange.” Weiss remarked, taking in Doctor Oobleck's style. 

“It's abstract, ” Jaune replied. “He took art styles from different periods of Remnant's history and meshed them all together.”

“I mean, I kind of got the point, ” she responded, looking at what seemed to be a mesh of traditional Atlesian watercolor with Mistrali ink painting. “It's just… strange.”

“I think it's fascinating,” Pyrrha responded, looking at a different piece. “Doctor Oobleck certainly has his own style.”

“Yeah, ” Jaune agreed, “I don't really know much about art, but I know Oobleck's work when I see it. That might just be because Oscar wouldn't stop talking about it though.”

“Ugh, speak of the devil, ” Weiss groaned. 

It didn't take long to figure out why she said that. Jaune found himself joining the crowd in stepping back a few paces. A wave of black hit the crowd as a small group of goths came into the exhibit. At the center were Oscar and a girl in a red hood with silver eyes. 

Oh, boy. He should have known Oscar would want to come see this exhibit. Did he have to bring the whole group? They didn't seem to notice Jaune and the others were there yet. He tried to avoid them, still feeling awkward about their falling out. 

Unfortunately, Weiss didn't seem to share the sentiment. 

“Excuse me,” the group-proclaimed Ice Queen stepped up to the group of goths, rather audaciously attempting to get the group to  _ leave _ . “The exhibit for gothic artists is further back in the Fine Arts building. Shouldn’t you be  _ there _ ?”

“Last we checked,” one of Oscar’s friends, a faunus girl, interjected, “There isn’t exactly a sign that says ‘no gothic artists allowed’ on the door, is there?”

“Besides, we know perfectly well where the gothic art exhibit is,” a boy with long hair, this time. One of the only two other boys in the group. “We were planning on going there after making a stop here.”

Having realized who Weiss was (because who didn’t), Oscar seemed to realize the rest of her friends wouldn’t be far. Hazel eyes rose from where they’d been keeping contact with the silver eyes of the girl next to him… and they made eye contact. Jaune gave a shaky chuckle and wave, as the goth boy stepped backwards, as if immersing himself back into his own group. They weren’t the only ones having an awkward stare-down, either.

The red-hooded girl next to Oscar made eye contact with Yang. Oh right… Those two were sisters, weren’t they? Jaune looked frantically between each of the two girls, as they seemed to have a less awkward, and more heated gaze on each other. If Weiss wasn’t already doing it, he had a feeling Yang would have started shouting, and the red-hooded girl (did Yang say her name was Ruby?) didn’t seem any happier. 

Speaking of Weiss, she and the faunus girl seemed to be hitting it off really poorly. Weiss was slowly becoming absolutely indignant as the other continued insisting that their group was planning on staying. 

“As if you would even appreciate these pieces properly!” She was now insisting, “All you care about is — ”

“Look here,  _ princess, _ ” the other boy in the group — he was wearing a green armband, a visitor from Haven? “We’re perfectly capable of appreciating ‘normal’ art. We just don’t like it when  _ you _ can’t appreciate  _ ours. _ ”

“Oh, so you fix that by painting your depressing murals on our streets, and interjecting in another person’s exhibit by posting your works over theirs? That’s some respect.”

“Um,” Oh no, Pyrhha don’t try to get between this, “Perhaps we should just let bygones be bygones? Let’s not make a — ”

“Pyrrha, I love you, but  _ please be quiet _ !” Weiss interjected. “Goths stick with goths, that’s how Remnant works!”

“Well, unfortunately for you,” the red-hooded girl responded, “Doctor Oobleck happens to be one of Oscar’s favorite artists. We decided to come here before going to the gothic exhibit, so that’s what we’re doing!”

Oh boy, this was bad. Oscar and Jaune both looked between their individual groups. Yang looked like she was about to go on a warpath. A red-headed girl in black and pink on Oscar’s side seemed to be thinking pretty similar. Weiss was being absolutely indignant as Neptune tried to calm her down, and the boy from Haven seemed to be egging her on at this point. The only one who didn’t seem to be paying any mind to this situation was Sun. 

And well… he was Sun. He never really cared about Goth vs Normal in the first place. 

“Guys, seriously, let’s just back off.” Oh, at least Oscar was trying to get his group in line. Figuring he should do the same, Jaune followed his friend(er… former friend)’s example by trying to help Pyrrha diffuse everything. 

“Look, Weiss, they’re right,” Jaune said, “It’s awkward for me, but there’s no one saying that goths can’t enjoy the other exhibits. I’m sure plenty of others are looking around in other places, too. We just have to ignore them, okay?”

“Just ignoring the problem seems to be your default reaction.” Okay… considering how Oscar must have felt after he suggested they stopped being friends, he  _ probably _ deserved that one, but it still hurt. 

“What’s with  _ that _ reaction?”

“Well, what do we have here!”

Before Jaune and Oscar could add to the less than pleasant atmosphere between the two groups, an unexpected voice roused them out of their argument. Doctor Oobleck had returned to his exhibit, with Professor Port in tow. He seemed to completely miss the awkward tension in the room, instead seemingly ecstatic to see his students there to enjoy his art. 

“This is an unexpected group!” He greeted both groups with open arms. Each of the groups, meanwhile, were awkwardly trying to diffuse their earlier tension to prevent getting into trouble. “I hadn’t expected to see  _ all _ of Beacon’s brightest pupils together!” Hoo, Weis did not seem to take too kindly to that comment. Neptune was having to quietly urge her not to say anything in the corner to keep her from saying what was  _ really _ happening. 

“Are you all enjoying the Showcase so far?” Professor Port asked.    


“Yes, sir!” Yang cheered. “Sun and I are looking forward to seeing your documentary at the Film Showcase later!”

“As you should!” He responded with a hearty chuckle. “It’s going to be a rather riveting piece on the lifestyles of Remnant’s best artists! Myself, of course, Doctor Oobleck, Miss Goodwitch, Headmaster Ironwood, Headmaster Lionheart, as well as Ozpin Pine and the Branwen twins!”

“Even gothic artists!?” Sun asked, “Wow, that’s something. Are you sure it’ll be okay?”

“It’ll be fine!” Port insisted, “Unfortunately, I had to compromise a bit and make their sections shorter, however they are unmistakably excellent artists! I look forward to seeing the film Miss Branwen will be presenting, myself. She’s one of the few who challenges me.”

Jaune saw Oscar whispering something in Ruby’s ear at that statement. The red-hooded girl seemed to burst into a giggle fit at whatever joke he’d just made, but was trying (and failing) to hold it in. 

“And young Oscar!” Oobleck responded, “I’m glad you didn’t let your new lifestyle hold you back from coming to my exhibit! It’s good to see you, young man.”

“Of course, Doctor,” Oscar responded. “I’ve been looking forward to this exhibit all year! Wouldn’t miss it.” He only ever seemed to get this eager when it came to art, Jaune noticed. It was always strange when he wasn’t being his usual, meek self. 

“Well, I hope you enjoy everything,” Doctor Oobleck responded. “I’m going to go greet other guests! Oscar knows my art well enough, he could probably enlighten you more on my process by himself. So long!” And with that, the Doctor zoomed off as quickly as he’d come. Port followed after to get a look at his friend’s art pieces, and the group was left in an awkward lurch. 

“Just don’t make any trouble,” Weiss commented with a huff towards the group of goths.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” a girl with the Haven armband spoke up, obviously sounding sarcastic as the groups went their separate ways to look at the exhibits. 

“Well, that could have gone better,” Jaune said to Pyrrha with a sigh. “Oscar seems to be taking the separating badly, we almost got into it over there.”

“Well, for now, let’s just be glad a fight didn’t start,” Pyrrha responded. 

“Yeah...” Jaune agreed, “I mean we have Yang and Sun, but did you see those two Haven kids? They looked like they were about to tear Weiss’ throat out!”

“Well, the professors showed up at a good time,” she agreed. “Let’s just enjoy the rest of the day, Jaune.”

“Yeah, right...” He responded, “Let’s just have a good time and not think about it.”

_ ~*~*~* Later *~*~*~ _

“Ugh, what I wouldn’t do to be able to show them up,” Mercury was repeatedly punching his fist into his palms, obviously upset about their previous encounter. “They think they’re  _ so much better than us _ . The professors’ favorite students, that Nikos girl even got her work featured for the  _ entire festival _ in the courtyard!”

“They seriously piss me off,” Emerald seemed to agree. “But we’ll see who gets the last laugh. There’s still the Student Showcase, and Ruby and the others aren’t pushovers when it comes to their artwork.”

“Yeah, but we can’t win any  _ awards _ for it!” Nora exclaimed, seeming to get the group in a sour mood again. 

“Well, look at it this way!” Ruby tried to reassure the group, “From here on, we’re just going to be at the goth exhibits for the rest of the day! We get to see Uncle Qrow and Ozpin’s pieces! It’s going to be awesome, right!?”

“And we get to see your mother’s at the Film Showcase,” Ren agreed, “Hopefully, things will be fine going forward.”

The group seemed to calm down as they all walked into what would be considered “their territory”. The halls were decorated in black, and pictures of gothic artists displayed outside their exhibits, so that everyone would know where they were going. 

“Mr. Pine and Mr. Branwen are displaying in the same exhibit, right?” Oscar asked. 

“Yep!” Ruby confirmed. “Qrow said something about how ‘we’re partners, so we always display together.’ or something.”

“Are we  _ sure _ they’re just friends? Seem more like a married couple to me,” Nora remarked, getting laughs from everyone else. 

“Hey, we heard that, kid,” the group couldn’t help but resist snickering when Qrow walked up behind them, with Ozpin in tow. Well, they certainly were always together, weren’t they?

“Hello, children,” compared to Qrow, Ozpin seemed fairly unfazed by their joke. Rather, he almost seemed amused at it. Though, he always did have the better sense of humor, Oscar had found. “How have you enjoyed the showcase so far?”

“For the most part, pretty good,” Blake responded, “There was one little…. Altercation, earlier.”

“What happened?” Qrow said with a sigh. 

“Yang’s group,” Ruby said curtly, getting a small ‘oh’ from her uncle. “That Weiss girl was harassing us at Oobleck’s exhibit! ‘Goths stick with goths, that’s how Remnant works!’ and whatnot.” She mimicked Weiss in her attempt at a mocking voice, groaning. 

“Yeah, the Schnees tend to be like that,” Qrow responded with a roll of his eyes, “I should tell you about the time I posted some of my photographs all over the hall for one of her sister’s prissy ballet recitals. It was pretty great.”

“Qrow,” Ozpin said with a sigh, “Things like that are what  _ cause _ people to not like us.”

“Yeah, but it’s great revenge.”

Ozpin just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The scene between the two seemed to give Nora more fuel for her fire. She grinned, motioning at the interaction toward her friends in an attempt to cheer things up more. 

“See!? Married couple!”

The children all laughed at Nora’s continuation of her joke. Ozpin seemed to get a good natured laugh at it, as well. Qrow, meanwhile, just seemed to groan. He decided the best way to get revenge on the girl teasing him and his friend was to headlock and noogie her. Nora flailed about, and the group continued laughing. 

“Mrs. Branwen isn’t with you?” Oscar responded. 

“You know she doesn’t like the ‘Mrs.’ squirt,” Qrow input, causing Oscar to quickly cover his mouth out of fear she might pop up behind him and hit him upside the head. 

“You’re safe,” Ozpin said with a chuckle, “The Film Showcase starts soon, so she’s busy preparing for it.”

He released the breath he was holding in, becoming flustered when Ruby smirked at him. She always liked to tease him about being scared of her mom. That said, considering how fiercely protective both she and Qrow were of Ruby, he had good reason! Especially since they’d taken to asking about the relationship between the two of them lately. It was scary. 

“Well, guess you squirts want to see our work, huh?”

“Yes, please!” Emerald responded, “Mercury and I are actually fans of yours, Mr. Branwen.”

“Rather… we like your style,” Mercury responded, “That thing you mentioned with Winter Schnee’s ballet recital? Gold.”

“Now this kid gets me.”

Another groan from Ozpin, which was mimicked by Oscar. He’d started getting used to Mercury’s aggressive streak, still. He couldn’t help but worry about what trouble the silver-haired boy might cause while he was there for the festival. 

“And the mini-Ozpin strikes again!” Nora quipped, getting a flustered glare from Oscar. 

“Actually, Mr. Pine...I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment.”

“I told you, Ozpin is fine,” he reminded Oscar, getting a shaky chuckle. “What about?”

“Well, I was wanting to ask you about how you mentioned having seen some of my art a while ago...” he asked, “Also, Doctor Oobleck said something the other day, too. When I turned in my piece for the festival. How I remind him of a younger you, and that… I have you to thank for… something… He didn’t tell me the rest.”

“I see...” he responded with his usual vague smile. “Well, you have fortunate timing, either way. I finished the design for the Masquerade I made you, and I wanted your opinion on it. Why don’t we head back to the studio for a little while?”

“Of course!”

“Why not adopt him while you’re at it!?” Nora screamed, before getting pulled away by Ren. 

“I’m sorry,” he responded to Oscar’s flustered reaction. 

“Eh… It’s Nora,” Oscar responded, getting a chuckle and nod from Ren. 

“Well, then. This way, Oscar.” Ozpin motioned for Oscar to follow, and he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Vytal Festival Showcase is here! We start with the Professional Showcase! I'll admit that originally, I wasn't planning on focusing on the professional half of the showcase much. In fact, it was originally just going to be the bit at the end of this chapter added to the beginning of the next chapter. I decided I wanted to add some interaction between the groups here, however. Most of the inter-group interaction will happen after the festival ends, but this just adds some tension to when that happens! 
> 
> The next chapter will be focusing on Oscar and Ozpin's relationship, as I'm sure most of you can tell by the end. Look forward to learning a lot more about how they're linked together by coincidence! It's one I've been really look forward to writing, but I keep adding these extra chapters that I wasn't originally planning on and making the festival stretch out longer.... 
> 
> I hope it hasn't stretched on too long, and you guys have enjoyed it so far!


	14. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to a friendly conversation with Ozpin, Oscar discovers the truth about his acceptance into Beacon. He makes a few other discoveries in the process... and some not so pleasant discoveries are made afterward.

The studio apartment that belonged to Ozpin and Ruby’s family seemed quiet when it was just the two of them. The past couple of weeks, Oscar had been visiting with Ruby every now and then, and it always seemed so loud and bustling. Between Ruby and her uncle, though, Oscar should have supposed that was a given. At least, it seemed to retain all of its warmth. 

“Everyone’s clothes for the Masquerade should be in here,” Ozpin told him. He led him down the hall to a room right across from where all his art was — apparently, he liked to keep his crafts separate. Oscar understood why that was when he saw the room.

Like the room filled with his art pieces, there seemed to be just as many rough sketches and mannequins with designs within the room. Ozpin was certainly a multifaceted artist, that was certain. He could tell that there were designs there meant for Ozpin, himself. Meant for Qrow, Raven, and even some that were probably just part of collections meant for the general goth populace. 

In the center of the room, however, were five designs that Oscar imagined the man had just finished recently. They were all the designs he’d made for Ruby and her friends for the Masquerade. They were all fairly easily identifiable, as well, seeming to fit everyone perfectly. 

There was a sleeveless black dress, the torso of which seemed to be shaped like a heart in the front, but probably didn’t have a back. It was probably meant for Nora, considering the pink lining under the poofy skirt, pink mask with black outline, and the long, pink gloves that contrasted the black dress and heeled formal boots. Then the sleeker, pure black dress with long sleeves. It had a short slit along the right leg and seemed to reach above the ankles of the mannequin. The black mask that seemed to have a design similar to a cat’s face implied that it was meant for Blake. The simple black, Mistral-style shirt with wide sleeves that had magenta-colored cuffs and detail was certainly Ren’s. It had sleek black pants and loafers to go with it, as well as a simple, dark green mask. 

Then, just to the right of Ruby’s, which he recognized from the design he’d seen when he met Ozpin, was what could only be his. The long, black coat was offset by a pair of dark orange formal gloves. The mask had the green gear that was synonymous with anything Ozpin on the left side, and the cuffs of the coat sleeves were a similar shade of green. He’d expected more of his signature orange, but instead, the dress shirt underneath was a deep red, with a black tie. Seeing it next to Ruby’s dress almost made them seem like a pair, which caused him to go a bit red.

Flustered, he faced the ever-stoic Ozpin, pointing between the two outfits. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

Ozpin simply smiled, his eyes moving to glance toward the ceiling as he (more than likely) feigned ignorance. “I assure you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Oscar simply puffed out his cheeks slightly, glancing back towards the paired outfits (because he knew they were!). The thought of matching with Ruby slightly wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It gave him a weird fluttery feeling, and he even kind of like it. He was just tired of the fact that apparently everyone seemed to be pushing him and Ruby together. 

“Do you want me to change it?”

“Uh… no, it’s amazing,” he responded sheepishly. He couldn’t help his nervous fidgeting, nor the smile that had involuntarily come over him. Honestly, he was more embarrassed than upset. “Thank you. Though…. You really like long coats, don’t you?”

“I find they add a certain degree of elegance.”

“They make you look like a vampire.”

“Are you saying that  _ you _ look like a vampire, too?”

“I have been told recently that I’m something of a leech.” He gave a sarcastic response to Ozpin’s remark, causing both of them to laugh. They might have been a bully’s words, but at this point, Oscar didn’t really care anymore. 

“I’m glad you like it,” Ozpin responded, “After all, the Masquerade is a must-attend event for any goth at the time of the Festival. You don’t usually see so many of us in one place.”

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Oscar admitted, “Though, I still have the Student Showcase to worry about….”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Ozpin reassured him. “Your piece is sure to gather a lot of attention.”

“I just hope it’s the good kind... ”

Oscar couldn’t help but hold back the choking sensation he felt at the thought. It wasn’t that he was unconfident about his work. In fact, he was more proud of his work as a goth than he’d ever been beforehand. Rather, after his earlier run-in with Jaune and his group, Oscar was just afraid of something like that happening again. 

The awkward choking sensation went away when he felt a hand on his shoulder, however. He glanced up, seeing Ozpin give him a small nod, and somehow the anxiety seemed to fade away. He glanced back towards his clothes for the Masquerade, simply deciding to take solace in the image of dancing together with his friends. 

“So, you had something you wanted to talk about, yes?” Ozpin asked, leading Oscar out into the living room. He paced about the kitchen for a moment, bringing out the duo’s usual pair of green mugs filled with cocoa. Since he’d come to know Ozpin, Oscar found himself drinking the stuff a lot. It was oddly soothing. 

“Yeah,” he agreed as he took the mug from Ozpin. The man sat down next to him, the two each taking sips out of their mugs before Oscar continued his statement. “So, I was talking with Doctor Oobleck, when I turned in my piece for the Festival. He said that something about my art is thanks to you. I was wondering…. If you had any involvement in my being admitted to Beacon?”

The words stuck in his throat for a moment. His sheer curiosity allowed him to push the words out, however, and his eyes remained trained on the man beside him, looking for any sign of recognition. 

Ozpin simply sat there for a moment. He seemed to be mulling over something, swishing the cocoa in his mug around every now and then before taking a sip. He didn’t show any sign of discomfort or reluctance, at the very least. Still, the fact that it was so hard to read him could be infuriating for Oscar, at times. 

“Well, the short answer is ‘yes’, but I imagine you want to know more.”

“More would be nice.”

Ozpin chuckled playfully at Oscar’s response. Oscar, meanwhile, couldn’t help feeling a well of excitement bubbling up as he waited for Ozpin’s response. He’d always wanted to know how that letter happened to find its way to his original foster home back in Mistral. Who would have thought he’d find out like this?

“You took part in an exhibit for hobbyist artists sometime last year, correct?”

“Um… yeah,” Oscar responded tepidly. It had been open participation, and at the time he hadn’t been thinking about becoming an artist professionally. “The Amateur Artists Exhibition back in Mistral.” It was a long time ago, but he still remembered the eager support that the owner of the home back in Mistral, who was like a mother or aunt to him, had given. The warmth of the memory brought a small smile to his face. 

“Yes, that was the one,” Ozpin responded, idly swishing around the liquid in his mug as his warm brown eyes continued to focus on Oscar. “I happened to be in Mistral for one of Qrow’s exhibits at the time. He and Raven were born in Mistral, you know, so they still work there from time to time.”

That was when realization dawned. All at once Oscar seemed to figure most of the order of events out. Ozpin seemed to realize it as well, which probably wasn’t hard considering he was sputtering and making weird sounds as he figured out. 

“You… Saw that!?”

“Indeed I did,” Ozpin said with a chuckle, “And it seems you’ve figured the rest out as well. I was amazed at the skill shown by a child and called my old friend Bartholomew — Doctor Oobleck. I told him about the exhibit, and he came running.”

“And from there...” Oscar responded, “Doctor Oobleck sent the letter asking me to attend Beacon. That’s why he always had such high expectations of me.”

He was stunned. To think he’d been so connected to Mr. Pine without even realizing it. Not just his admittance to Beacon, but he even had some of the man’s art from before his turn to goth. It was what made him invest in art in the first place. The boy’s head was positively reeling, all the while Ozpin was just looking at him with his usual warm smile. 

“I… I just...” he stammered, voice coming out more frantic than he’d intended it to. “I had so many pieces of your art without realizing it. You inspired me to start painting before I even knew who you were, then this….”

“It is a lot to take in, isn’t it?” the man responded. Yet, he wasn’t even half as frantic as the practically flailing child sitting next to him. “Then, we happen to meet when you’re out in the rain, and that takes you down the goth path.”

“This is so much coincidence I feel like I’m in a storybook,” Oscar responded, dumbfounded. 

Ozpin simply smiled, putting a hand on Oscar’s shoulders. He didn’t know what it was about the elder, but Ozpin simply gave him this warm, comforting feeling. It was a similar feeling to the owner of the foster home back at Mistral. This sort of familial(as best as an orphan could recognize familial feelings), supportive warmth that told him not to worry. 

“Well, though unintentionally, it seems I’ve made quite the large impact on you,” Ozpin remarked, sipping his cocoa. “It makes me look forward to a little surprise I have in store for you tomorrow, even more.”

“Surprise?” Oscar inquired, his curiosity peaked. 

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I gave you any more information.” was Ozpin’s simple response. “For now, I think Miss Rose and the other children will be waiting for you back at Beacon.”

“Oh right!” Oscar exclaimed, “Your exhibit! I still wanted to see it!”

“Well, run along then,” the man remarked, making a motion with his hand to shoo Oscar along. He made no motion to rise from his spot, simply smiling when Oscar looked at him quizzically. “I’ll be along in no time. I want to finish my cocoa.”

Well, if there was one thing Oscar had learned about Ozpin in the short time they'd known each other: it was that he always followed the beat of his own drum. So he simply shrugged and left, allowing that warm feeling to linger as he headed towards the gates. 

Unfortunately, the friendly, warm feeling was gone the moment he walked through to Beacon. Right inside the gates in the courtyard, on the way to the goth exhibits, was a bronze and marble sculpture crafted by Pyrrha Nikos. It was apparently the centerpiece of the festival, for being made by someone so young, and was certainly suited to playing that role. 

Unfortunately, however, Oscar came through the gates just in time to see Mercury standing by the statue. Buckets of paint, brushes, and other supplies were sitting at the goth boy’s feet. A lump caught in Oscar’s throat, as an instant feeling of dread washed over him. Before he could think of anything else, he rushed forward, managing to catch Mercury’s wrist before he began painting over the sculpture with black paint. 

“Mercury, what are you doing!?” He shouted towards the other, who looked back at the suddenly aggressive Oscar with surprise. Of course, Oscar’s attempts to be intimidating hardly worked, so Mercury just ruffled Oscar’s hair with his free hand when he realized who it was. 

“Oh, hey there, half-pint,” he stated. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Look,” Oscar responded. His eyes darted around, frantically trying to keep an eye out for any professors that might be around. “If any of the professors catch us here, we’re  _ both _ in trouble! Just back off and let’s go back to the others.”

“As if,” was Mercury’s cocky response, raising an eyebrow at Oscar’s attempt to tell him what to do. That stupid rebellious streak was going to be nothing but trouble, apparently. “After what happened earlier? Emerald and I want revenge. That Schnee girl and her friends were out of line.”

“Pyrrha had nothing to do with it!”

“It’s called ‘guilty by assosiation’, squirt.”

“Okay,” he responded, irritation at Mercury growing. “As someone who had to deal with ‘goth by association’ for months, I’m not about to let that fly.”

“Oh, wrong choice of words,” Mercury said with a click of his tongue. Seriously!? 'wrong choice of words' was his only response to that!? “Either way, with this thing stealing the spotlight, no one will pay attention to us tomorrow. Don’t you think it’d be easier if we just made it a goth statement, itself?”

“ _ No! _ ” Oscar countered, unable to control his anger at this point. “It’d make things worse! Like Ozpin said, things like this are why people hate us in the first place. Besides, we’re all confident enough in our works that we’re not worried about whether or not it gets attention, tomorrow.”

The two boys had a stare-down, Oscar not moving from his spot. He kept hold of Mercury’s wrist, surprised the stronger boy hadn’t shaken him off, yet. His heart was beating a mile a minute, afraid that someone could pop up any minute. 

“Mister Black! Oscar! What is the meaning of this!?” 

Oh god. The worst possible one. Storming up to the two boys was none other than Headmistress Goodwitch, herself. They’d been so caught up in their argument, they hadn’t even noticed her coming — and she wasn’t happy with them. 

“Headmistress Goodwitch!” Oscar yelped, noticing that even Mercury seemed the tiniest bit afraid of her. Well, it wasn’t hard to understand why. “This isn’t what it looks like, seriously!”

“Oh isn’t it?” she asked, nudging her spectacles up to their proper position. “I’d heard from one of my students that a suspicious individual was seen sneaking around near the gates. Must you two deface the work of another student for a feeling of satisfaction?”

“I had nothing to do with it!” Oscar yelped. Mercury was staying eerily quiet, something Oscar was none too fond of. “I’ve been with Mr. Pine all day! Please!”

“To. My. Office.”

Oscar swallowed any words he’d been planning on saying from that point on. Once you were asked to go to Goodwitch’s office, it was pretty much guaranteed that punishment was on its way. His eyes darted to the ground, all his timidity coming back. Mercury, meanwhile, just seemed disappointed. He clicked his tongue, dropping the paintbrush and following the headmistress along with Oscar. 

Walking through the halls behind he headmistress wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience. Especially as, since it was time for the festivals, there was more than just the students and professors in the halls. Onlookers mumbled at the two goths being lead by an angry Goodwitch, no doubt wondering what trouble the duo was up to. 

She threw the door open, moving to her desk. The two boys walked in timidly, and Oscar noticed a familiar face sitting near the desk. No doubt, it was the one who had told her about the suspicious activity. 

“Jaune?”

“Oscar!?” His former friend’s face took on an expression that was hard to describe. Disbelief that Oscar was in trouble, fear of the other goth nearby, and wondering what was going on all at the same time. 

“Not now, you two,” Glynda insisted, glaring at the two goths in the room. “Mr. Black. Oscar. Would you mind explaining what you were planning on doing with Ms. Nikos’ sculpture?”

Ooh, boy, this wasn’t going to be pleasant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pf, that chapter summary is terrible. Still, I've really been looking forward to this chapter! There is a small scene I was going to put in this chapter that I decided to save for later, though, so it came out a bit shorter than I planned. Still, after all the extra chapters that I wasn't originally planning on writing, we're back on track! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> I wonder what fate Goodwitch will have in store for our little "troublemakers"~


	15. Close Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Mercury, Oscar finds himself at Headmistress Goodwitch's mercy. As most goths tend to be considered guilty until proven innocent, he's prepared to face punishment despite not having done anything. This is made even more difficult to handle when he realizes exactly how strict Goodwitch's planned punishment is. Luckily, however, he's saved from punishment rather unexpectedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god it's finally done! Between technical difficulties, catching a cold that stuck around for five days straight, and restarting the chapter completely from scratch after my cold went away, I managed to crank it out! I'm sorry this update took so long, but hopefully we shouldn't have such a long break! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

“Well?” The silence was deafening as Headmistress Goodwitch stared the two boys down, with every apparent intention to punish them rather brutally. “You two performed one of, if not  _ the _ worst possible crimes an art student can perform, and you have  _ nothing _ to say for yourselves?”

Oscar had  _ plenty  _ to say for himself. The problem was, under the weight of Goodwitch’s gaze, and the prospect of his first time in trouble being so major, he couldn’t think of ways to word it. He was with Mr. Pine? Would she even believe that? He and Qrow were apparently a pretty big deal in the goth world. He was just trying to stop Mercury? But that would not only throw his new friend under the bus but seem more like a bad excuse than an actual explanation. 

“I… Um...” He tried to think of what to say. A way to explain the situation, but his mind was breaking down. He’d never been in trouble before. Never been called to the headmistress’ office. The closest he’d been was Oobleck calling him into his classroom a moment to talk about the Festival and Oscar’s piece. “That is… Um….”

“I’m waiting.” Oh, god, that broke down any form of thought process he had altogether. What was he supposed to say!? When he didn’t seem to be able to put together an answer, her eyes turned to Mercury, who was leaning back in his chair effortlessly. As if it were a casual meeting. 

Oscar glanced at his friend, as well. Of course, Mercury had been through this kind of situation before, so he shouldn’t have expected much. Still, when the other boy just seemed to think a moment, before shrugging and giving a small smirk, he felt a bit betrayed. Was Mercury trying to bring him down as well?

“Very well then, if neither of you will say anything” Goodwitch responded, walking behind her desk and taking a seat. “Let me start. I heard something from Professors Oobleck and Port earlier. Mr. Arc, Oscar.”

“Yes, ma’am?” Oscar responded, nervously.

“Yes, Miss Goodwitch?” Jaune’s response was in time with Oscar’s, but seemed much cooler. Of course, he wasn’t the one in trouble. He was even looking at Oscar as if asking “why’d you do it?”, adding more pressure. 

“The Professors told me there was some tension between your groups at Professor Oobleck’s exhibit earlier,” she responded. Of course, Oscar should have known. He’d acted as if he wasn’t reading the atmosphere, but he wasn’t the type to be quite so oblivious. “It seems there was an argument during the exhibit?”

“Of course he would have caught it,” Oscar muttered. As someone Oscar considered a mentor, he knew that Oobleck was more observant than most gave him credit for. He shouldn’t have thought they’d gotten away with that argument so easily. 

“So you admit it then, Oscar?”

Ah. He winced when the headmistress addressed him. His voice caught in his throat, and all he was able to do was nod meekly. Literally, everything that had happened so far was showing him as guilty, and he couldn’t even summon up the courage to defend himself!

“It’s true,” Jaune admitted, “There was a disagreement between our groups… Weiss  _ did _ start it. She was practically trying to chase them out of the exhibit.” Oh thank goodness, maybe Jaune would help her understand he wouldn’t do something like that! “Still, between heated members of my group like Sun and Yang, and the two Haven kids and a couple of others on Oscar’s side, things did get pretty….  _ Heated. _ Pyrrha had nothing to do with that argument though!”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Arc,” Headmistress Goodwitch continued, seeming frustrated at having found a connection. “For most goths, that has little to do with it. If an altercation between groups like that happens, the goths will target anyone in the opposite group — whether they were involved or not.”

Oh god, now even Jaune was looking at him like he was guilty. Somehow, the blond had moved from confused, to shocked, to curious, to thoroughly upset as of right now. Oscar was practically retreating into his coat as if it was a turtle shell right now. 

“Well, you caught me,” Mercury responded, moving out of his relaxed position. “I wanted revenge because that group harassing us, and so I decided to target the biggest star in the group. Simple as that. Em was going to help too, but she backed out for some reason...”

“And Oscar was a helper as well I take it,” Goodwitch responded, “Something I wouldn’t have expected from one of our star students.”

“Miss Goodwitch!” He finally managed to squeak out. “Please! I was just on my way through the courtyard when I saw what Mercury was doing… I was trying to stop him!”

“I want to believe you, Oscar,” the Headmistress responded, sitting back in her seat. “However, unless Mr. Black admits you were stopping him, or someone else was there to see it, I have no way of knowing for sure.”

Oscar glanced at Mercury, who didn’t seem too eager to open his mouth throughout most of this conversation. Sure, he’d admit his own guilt, but wouldn’t clear Oscar’s name? The smaller of the two goths was practically pleading!

“I...” he responded. Whether or not the headmistress would believe him, he only had one card to play at this point. “Please! I was with Mr. Pine all evening after Doctor Oobleck’s exhibit! If you contact him, he can verify it!”

“As in Ozpin Pine?” the headmistress responded, getting a meek nod from Oscar. “As surprised as I am to hear you’re acquainted with him — and you saying yourself to verify it makes it seem truthful — that’s neither here nor there. From the moment you left Ozpin to the time you found yourself at Miss Nikos’ sculpture, your actions are unaccounted for.”

Oscar winced. Well, there went that defense for a completely different reason from what he’d expected. His only hope laid on Mercury now, and the boy didn’t seem too eager to clear his name. This. Did not. Look good. 

“Under normal circumstances,” the headmistress continued, already beginning to spell out their punishment. “This would call for expulsion, and a letter to Headmaster Lionheart at Haven to suggest the same for Mr. Black.”

“Expulsion!?” Oscar yelped. What was he supposed to do after that!? Expulsion from any of the major art schools basically ruined any of his chances of pursuing art. Not to mention separating him from his friends. Would he be sent back to his old foster home in Mistral?

“ _ However, _ ” Miss Goodwitch continued, shooting Oscar a harsh look for his sudden exclamation. “It’s the Vytal festival, so I’m willing to be a bit more generous.” Well, considering what she said next, the only generous thing was that he wasn’t being kicked out. “Your piece for the Student Showcase tomorrow will be taken from the roster of Showcase pieces returned to you, and you will be barred from any future participation in the Showcase. A letter suggesting similar punishment will be sent to Haven for Mr. Black as well.”

And now he was worried for a whole other reason. His piece wouldn’t be in the Showcase!? He held his breath, trying to desperately cling to something to say. He stammered and stuttered, completely loss as to why this was happening to him. “Professor, please! That piece is really special to me! I really wanted it to be seen on display…!”

“You should have thought of that sooner,” Goodwitch responded. “You, as well as Mr. Black, broke one of the basic codes of honor for artists: respect each other’s work!”

“Yeah, as if Normals don’t break that code every time goths try to have a proper exhibit,” Mercury responded. 

“Not helping, Merc!” Oscar hissed, getting a shocked look from the others, as he wasn’t usually the type to act like this. The piece he’d worked so hard on… The piece Ruby had inspired that was supposed to be his true entrance into the goth world… and it wouldn’t be on display? He’d have to start again from scratch, and not even for a future Showcase?

His head was reeling. His mind was moving a mile a minute. Yet, here he was, completely unable to do anything. He forgot one cardinal rule of the art world: while most normals are innocent until proven guilty, it was the exact opposite with goth students. They’d just been practically paraded down the corridors, of course, people would be expecting some kind of punishment, for some crime they didn’t even know hadn’t happened!

“Professor Goodwitch,” surprisingly, it was Jaune who spoke up. “Don’t you think this is a bit much? I mean… We don’t even know if Oscar was really involved, and removing his piece after just allowing goth participation — ”

“I know,” Goodwitch responded, “It won’t look good for goths, but something like this won’t set their movement back much, if at all. The damage would have only been done if the sculpture had been defaced — which, luckily, it wasn’t.” Yeah, thanks to  _ him! _ If he hadn’t caught Merc, who knows what damage he could have done before teachers got there. “It has to get across that this attitude won’t be tolerated. I understand that it’s Oscar’s first offense, and will be hard on him, but this is his punishment for breaking rules.”

“He didn’t break anything.” All eyes turned to Mercury, who seemed to finally decide to talk. Oscar saw a small hint of an apology in the other’s eyes for a brief second before the other turned to Goodwitch. “You said that it would be fine if I vouched for him, right? Well, he was telling the truth. Me and Em were the ones who wanted to do this, but like I said she backed out. So I decided to do it on my own, only to be caught by Oscar. He held me off and we had a bit of an argument before you caught us.”

“So you felt like he was the one who got you caught,” Goodwitch responded, “and like with the sculpture, you thought that bringing him down with you would be the best revenge.”

“It’s not worth it if his piece gets taken down, though,” Mercury responded with a shrug, “I was gonna speak up when you threatened with expulsion, but when you said you’d be generous I didn’t think it would still be this strict.”

Oscar felt as if a constrictor had wrapped its way around him slowly before suddenly releasing completely at the drop of a hat. All the tension that had built up around him throughout the course of this whole situation was suddenly gone. 

“I’ll take my punishment,” Mercury responded, “but leave the half-pint out of this.”

“If I may,” a sudden voice caused the group to turn towards the door. It was Ozpin! With Emerald and Ruby, in tow, “I haven’t come in before a verdict was reached, have I?”

“Ozpin,” Glynda responded, surprised, “I wasn’t expecting to see you in my office. A verdict has been reached — but as Mr. Black has decided to speak up on Oscar’s behalf, I’ve been reconsidering it.”

“A good thing, too,” Ozpin responded. “I believe Miss Sustrai here has something to say for herself, as well?”

“Yes,” Emerald responded, stepping forward, “I was originally meant to be part of the defacing plan. I backed out at the last moment, though. When Merc decided to go through with it anyway, I wasn’t going to say anything… Until Ruby, the others and I saw you leading these two through the halls...”

“And you knew Mr. Black had gotten Oscar involved,” Goodwitch responded, getting a nod in response from Emerald.    


“Oscar didn’t have anything to do with it. When I saw Oscar getting dragged through the halls, I knew I had to tell everyone what happened, and Ruby suggested going to Mr. Pine… ”

“Very well,” the headmistress finally decided to come to her decision. “It seems Oscar wasn’t involved, after all, so he’s off the hook. Ms. Sustrai, since you decided against taking part in this, and vouched for him, you won’t be punished either. However, Mr. Black...”

“I know,” Mercury responded, holding his hands up in defeat, “banned from any form of participation in future Vytal Festivals, at least as a student.”

“It’s good to see you understand,” Goodwitch responded, “I’ll be writing Leonardo as soon as the Festival is over.”

“I knew that, once you got a proper testimony, you’d make a wise decision, Glynda,” Ozpin responded, stepping up and putting a hand on Oscar’s shoulder. “There’s no way someone like Oscar would do something like that.”

“Yes, I know,” was her response, “By the way, Ozpin. Have you reconsidered my invitation to teach at Beacon? The goth students seem quite fond of you, at the very least.”

“And I of them,” Ozpin admitted, “However, the rest of the students, and the rest of the world, might not think the same. I’m fine where I am, for the time being.”

“Well then,” the headmistress responded, glancing between everyone there. “You’re all dismissed, for the time being. The matter is settled.”

Jaune, seemingly uncomfortable with all the goths in the room, got up and quickly slipped out of the office. Well, maybe he just didn’t want to be around the stern Glynda Goodwitch more than was absolutely necessary. She was rather intimidating. The rest of them, however, filed out at a more relaxed pace. Once the door was closed and the situation was behind them, Ruby, who’d been unnaturally quiet, practically pounced Oscar. 

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!” Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, causing Oscar to stammer a bit dumbly. He caught Emerald and Mercury giving each other sly ‘aren’t they cute’ type smirks behind them, but was more focused on the red-hooded matter at hand. “That was  _ way _ too close for comfort! I’m so glad everything worked out!”

“Thanks to you, Merc, Emerald, and Ozpin,” Oscar admitted, giving a sheepish smile to the other three. “Thanks. Ms. Goodwitch almost took away my privilege to present in the Festival… and any future ones, to boot.”

“She always was prone to strict punishments,” Ozpin responded, “You’re very lucky, considering what nearly happened.”

“Don’t I know it,” Oscar admitted.  
  
“I was afraid she was going to _expel_ you!” Ruby whined. “She’s done it for smaller things. Nora almost got expelled for breaking Cardin Winchester’s legs once.”

“That… sounds like Nora,” Oscar said with a shaky chuckle. “Though I’m pretty sure that’s about even with what Merc and Emerald almost did.”

“She said she was willing to be generous since it’s the Vytal Festival,” Mercury responded, “Some generosity, if you ask me.”

“You don’t know Headmistress Goodwitch,” Ruby responded, “Still terrible, but  _ super _ generous.”

“Speaking of knowing Headmistress Goodwitch,” Oscar responded, finally managing to awkwardly slip through Ruby’s grip and over to Ozpin. “You were asked to be a teacher at Beacon? Why’d you say no?”

“A long time ago,” Ozpin verified, “And for the very reason I told Glynda. I’m not sure the world is ready for a goth professor yet. It needs a little more time. Perhaps when you’re older, it will be ready.”

“Are you hinting at something?” Oscar asked, tilting his head curiously. He only got a chuckle in response from Ozpin. 

“Well, the day’s exhibits are closing up,” he said instead. “Why don’t you all return to your apartment — or dorms, in Mr. Black and Ms. Sustrai’s case, and prepare for the Student Showcase tomorrow?”

“Ugh, I missed most of the goth exhibits!” Oscar groaned, getting a laugh in response from Ruby as the two separated from the group to head into Vale. 

“A shame too. Blake’s brother, Adam, had a really cool exhibit.”

“Blake has an older brother?” Oscar asked. 

“An adopted one,” Ruby said with a nod, “I’ve only met him a couple of times. If you want an idea, though… List off every goth stereotype you can think of! Quick!”

Used to Ruby’s randomness at this point, he didn’t hesitate at her sudden game. “Dangerous, brooding, angry at everything, violent, unsociable, hateful….”

“Congratulations!” Ruby responded. “You just described Blake’s brother! He seemed a bit more chill at the Showcase than the last time I met him, but yeah… he was pretty bad before. Other than him, there was Ozpin and Uncle Qrow’s exhibit… Mom’s film was shown during the Film Mini-marathon! Ah, and Sienna Khan!”

“That’s a lot of big names...” Oscar said with a sigh, sad he’d missed it. “I guess I’ll have to make up for it at the Student Showcase tomorrow.”

“You’d better, you’re presenting!” Ruby joked, “And all of us have been looking forward to seeing each other’s works on display. It’ll be great!”

As they walked into their apartment, Nora practically rushed them. 

“They’re back!” She yelled, getting Ren and Nora’s attention in the living room, though they had enough tact not to pounce the duo for information. “What happened! I need to know everything! Oscar didn’t get punished did he!?”

“I’m fine,” Oscar responded, holding up his hands to defend from her barrage of questions. “Emerald and Merc admitted that they did it, and vouched for me. Though, Merc wasn’t planning to initially...”

“We’ll talk to him about that later,” Blake responded. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he responded. “He seemed apologetic about the whole thing, and I don’t want to cause another scene. Besides, I didn’t get punished.”

“All’s well that ends well,” Ren agreed, “I’ll make dinner, then we should rest. We have our own Showcase tomorrow.”

“I’m so excited!” Ruby responded, jumping. “Tomorrow can’t come quick enough!”

“It’s already almost tomorrow,” Oscar responded with a chuckle. With this debacle behind him, though, he was certainly more optimistic about the next day. Thank goodness, things had worked out in his favor. He had a day of hanging out and seeing his friend’s art ahead of him, and the Shadow Masquerade at night. Things were definitely looking up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy. So, fun fact, this whole encounter was originally going to be VERY different. Originally, I was planning on Cardin being the one who reported them, out of spite for Mercury beating him up in the library. When he realized Oscar had got caught in it, he'd have given a story to conivince Glynda to go through with her punishment and prevent Oscar from displaying his piece for the festival. Oscar would have argued with Mercury, ending with Merc apologizing for not having his back more after realizing what he did was wrong and suggesting that Oscar give the piece to Ruby as a present since it couldn't be displayed for the Festival. I then realized that Goodwitch is someone who's strict, but fair. And if both Oscar and Merc attested to Oscar not being involved, she might be more willing to believe them, as well as having planned Emerald's involvement from the start. However, if my plan with Cardin had gone through, Emerald wouldn't have been able to have a say in what happened before Oscar was punished. So, I changed it to Jaune reporting them out of good intentions. 
> 
> I was also planning on having a conversation with Jaune after the happening in this version, however didn't get around to it. He would have explained he reported Merc because he didn't know who it was. That there were plenty of people jealous of Pyrrha's piece, and he wanted to protect it as best he could by reporting suspicious activity. Plenty more would have been involved in it as well, but I plan on fitting that conversation in to a later chapter. So I don't want to reveal everything I have planned!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so! This is an idea I've been thinking on for a while. I just wanted to post a short prologue to feel out the concepts for the fic and gauge its reception. Future chapters will probably be much longer than this, but hey! This is just a small introduction to how the world of Remnant works in this fic. It's different from the Remnant that everyone is used to in a lot of ways, while still trying to keep some of the concepts from the show. As things go along, you'll see more and more of those differences, so hopefully everyone looks forward to it!


End file.
